A New Threat
by Penname2000
Summary: A threat against an infamous politician steers the Team right into the path of a radical pro-mutant terrorist group.
1. Prologue

**A/N: After taking a four-ish year long break from fanfiction, I'm back again with a new profile and a couple new ideas for a story. This one's been itching at me for a while. I do not own X-Men or Young Justice.**

* * *

PROLOGUE

Cameras flashed like lightning, cutting through the night. Crowds of people, demonstrators and observers, were gathered outside of the UN Center, waving signs and taking videos and chanting slogans for equal rights and world peace.

The Summit was to be livestreamed on screens outside the center for the public to watch. It needed to be set up perfectly. The screens had to be secured, the video projector hooked up, everyone needed to be in the right place. Organizing this was a very important job. It was truly the height of Chester Banfield's career, and he was taking it very seriously.

"Double check the projectors," he ordered an intern for the third time. "Make sure they're working." He flipped through the papers on his clipboard. "We're live in ten. Make sure the cameras are set up. Are the reporters ready to go? Grab me a coffee," he yelled to another intern, who ignored him.

Out of the corner of his well-trained UN-live-media-coverage-supervisor eye, he spotted something amiss. "Hey you!" He called out. The young man froze in his spot near the projector screen. Chester waved his official UN employee laminate in the air. "Only officials allowed past the barriers, okay buddy?"

The young man raised his hands appeasingly. "Sorry," he said in some kind of thick accent. Maybe Russian? "No English."

What, was he some ambassador's kid or something? "You need to go," Chester said loudly, enunciating every syllable. The boy smiled and nodded, but didn't move. Chester sighed impatiently, reaching for his walkie-talkie. "Can I get security over by the projecting area? There's some kid here, he's getting in the way," Chester said, taking his eyes off the kid for a second. "I dunno, like fifteen? I-" Chester stopped abruptly when he looked up and saw that the kid was gone.

He stared, looking left, then right. "Hey," he called to an intern nearby, "did you see some kid go past you?"

The intern ignored him. Chester grumbled something about lack of respect for authority and spoke into the walkie-talkie again. "Yeah, kid's gone. I dunno where he went."

He listened to the voice crackling over the other end. "Nah, it's probably not important. Probably lost. But yeah, he was like...five foot ten, or something. Scrawny. Weird thing, though, his hair was like, white. What kind of a teenager has white hair?"

* * *

A/N: This was rather short. Future chapters will be longer. Leave a review if you liked it!


	2. Chapter 1

At the edge of the crowd, Artemis Crock leans against a nearby building, watching the crowd and looking (she assumes) pretty stupid in a dark blue pantsuit.

* * *

"The Conference for International Metahuman Rights is taking place at the UN Headquarters in New York City this Friday," Batman said, gesturing to the holographic screen. Six pairs of eyes watched intently as various images popped up, tinged green by the monitor. "Due to pressure from many citizens and humanitarian groups, including Amnesty International, various world leaders are meeting to discuss rights of marginalized groups, particularly metahumans."

"Metahumans are oppressed?" Miss Martian asked, sounding slightly alarmed.

"In some countries, yeah," Robin explained. "In most developed nations, including the States, metahumans have the same rights as anyone. But in other places there are laws that basically force them to go into hiding."

"Yeah, it seems that a lot of people are less than friendly towards those that don't wear colorful costumes," Wally added darkly. Miss Martian swallowed and stared at the floor, looking disturbed.

"The League has opted to avoid the Summit for political reasons," Batman continued, "But we need the Team to provide some extra security. We have intel that things may not go smoothly."

"A threat?" Robin asked.

"Yes. Specifically against this man," Batman gestured towards the screen at a picture of a middle-aged man with dark hair and eyes, flashing a politician's smile. "Ambassador Victor Ivanoff of Transia, an infamous anti-metahuman politician."

At the mention of his name, the Earth-native members of the team stiffened. Anyone who paid attention to the metahuman rights debate knew who this guy was. His crimes, depending on who you asked, ranged from spreading ignorant rumors to full blown genocide. He was famously involved in a scandal that involved the Transian government paying mercenaries to kill mutant civilians, though he managed to escape with no jail time or demotion. Some speculated that he was somehow blackmailing the President, Nicolai Russoff.

Basically, this guy sucked.

"Ambassador Ivanoff is speaking about the dangers that metahumans propose to national security. The League received intel that an assassination attempt will take place against him, though it's not clear when or how."

"Shadows?" Aqualad guessed.

"Possibly. However, given the nature of the threat, I believe the most likely suspect is a domestic terrorist group from Transia, a radical pro-metahuman group called the Brotherhood of Mutants. Their current membership is unknown, but their leader is known to be one Erik Magnus, known in his home country as Magneto. He is a metahuman with metal-shifting abilities, and is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous."

* * *

All things considered, Artemis still had to ask. Why the pantsuit. Artemis scowled down at herself. She got that she needed to blend in and look like any other security guard, but couldn't they have picked out something a little more her style? Besides, it was itchy and smelled like an old lady's closet and wasn't even that flattering.

_I don't think it looks that bad, Artemis,_ a voice in her head said, girly and irritatingly chipper. _You look very nice._

Artemis rolled her eyes. _Thanks._

_It is almost ten-thirty,_ Aqualad's voice said over the mental connection. _Has anyone seen anything out of the ordinary? _

_Other than Artemis looking like she tried for once?_ Another voice snickered.

Artemis gritted her teeth. _Shut it, Kid Mouth_.

_Why don't you make me?_

_Enough_, Aqualad's voice cut in, calm and cool as water. _Keep focused on the mission. _

Artemis harrumphed and fiddled with her sleeves, grumbling. Her eyes slid over to the rally outside the doors. Large screens had been set up outside the building with the summit being projected live for everyone to watch. Some lady with a megaphone was shouting at the crowd about metahumans being dragged to jail or killed by angry mobs who didn't want them around.

_It does kind of suck that we have to protect this guy,_ Artemis thought sullenly.

_What do you mean? _Superboy asked, sounding slightly confused.

_I mean, this guy is corrupt. Seriously. He hates people who are different and tries to get thrown in jail or executed for no reason. If these people come after him for that, a part of me is tempted to let him face the music. _

_Artemis, _came Aqualad's warning tone.

_You know,_ came Kid Flash's voice, _I'm kind of with her on this one. _Artemis almost choked on her tongue. Kid Flash agree with something she said? Had Hell frozen over and she missed it? _This guy is trash,_ Kid Flash added.

_Regardless of our opinions of his moral standing, it is our mission to ensure the safety of everyone at this summit,_ Aqualad reminded. He sounded like he was scolding a child.

_No, I know, I know_, Kid Flash backpedaled. _It just...it kind of sucks, that's all._

There was quiet for a minute or two. It was Robin who broke the silence. _I think I saw something on the west side of the building, third floor. I'm going to check it out._

_Don't attract any attention,_ Aqualad said.

_Remember who you're talking to,_ Robin shot back, cackling his signature cackle.

They were quiet again. Artemis brooded, trying to look unapproachable to passersby. It wasn't hard. She'd had a lot of practice.

Then something changed. The chanting quieted, and a wave of murmurs and confused whispers fell over the crowd. Sensing something was off, Artemis's eyes snapped to the screens. Strangely, instead of showing the panel of world leaders, they now showed nothing but darkness. Although she hadn't been doing this long, Artemis knew better than to brush it off as an unstable connection. She shifted her briefcase in her hand, her senses on high alert.

_Stand by, _came Aqualad's order.

The picture on the screen changed again, lights flickering back on. The world leaders sat in their chairs, as before, but the room seemed emptier, somehow. Suddenly it hit Artemis. What had happened to all the security guards? The reporters and security guards that had filled the room before had vanished, leaving the majority of the room empty. The world leaders seemed to be just as confused, looking around and talking rapidly to each other, presumably asking what the hell was happening. Suddenly, the arms of the chairs extended like tentacles, wrapping around the wrists of the world leaders and trapping them there. There were screams and struggles, but they fell silent as a cloaked figure appeared from off camera, stepping into the plain view.

_This is him. Get there now_, Aqualad said.

They didn't have to be told twice.

Artemis opened the briefcase, pulling out her bow and flicking it open. She shrugged her quiver over her shoulders and began to run towards the building.

On the screen, the man pulled down his hood, revealing a middle-aged man wearing a red and purple helmet not unlike a roman soldier's. His weathered, hardened face peered out from under the helmet, piercing gray-green eyes staring at the camera with determination.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the world," Magneto greeted his audience in a thick central European accent. "And I would like to extend a special greeting to the individuals in this room with me, particularly our dear Ambassador Ivanoff." He smiled a terse, unhappy smile and shifted slightly so that the ambassador was visible to the camera. Recognition flickered in Ivanoff's eyes, and he shouted something and began struggling harder. Magneto flicked his wrist, causing a metal microphone to spring off the desk before him and coil like a snake around Ivanoff's throat, cutting off his cries by strangling him. Magneto calmly turned back to the camera, obscuring Ivanoff's wheezing form. "This man has encouraged the oppression and senseless murder of thousands of his own citizens. Discrimination and ignorance thrive in my country because of him. And you were all going to sit and _listen_ to him."

Artemis vaulted over the dividers, pushing her way through the crowd that was staring, transfixed, at the screens. "Move!" She yelled, elbowing people out of the way.

"My followers and I have spent years, decades trying to bring the plight of my people to light," Magneto continued. "And yet nothing changes. It seems that metahumans are only important when they are running around in their costumes and capes, saving you from problems that you more than often create for yourselves. Until now. Now we will rise, destroy this world and from the ashes build a new one. It is as I have always warned...the day of homo superior will come, and it will have no mercy. So I ask you," Magneto shifted, a wicked smile curling at his lips, "Do I have your attention now?"

Suddenly, something in the room changed. There was a flash of light, and suddenly the entire room was covered in smoke. Magneto was completely obscured by the fumes, coughing violently. There was a lot of jostling, but nobody could see anything that was going on. Something hit the camera, and the screen went black.

Just then, a sound not unlike a dump truck being thrown through a wall by a super strong alien rang out through the night (the fact that Artemis knew exactly what that sounded like couldn't even begin to describe how weird her life was). Suddenly, a banged-up security van smashed through the wall in the left side of the building, landing with a loud bang on the concrete and sending people scattering in all directions. The police officers stationed around the building swarmed on it just as the flames started to leak out of the van. A police officer pulled someone out. A security guard, by the looks of it. Unconscious.

_So that's where they went. _

Artemis saw Aqualad, who had been hanging around that side of the building, run forward to assist with putting out the fire. He turned his head, and they locked eyes briefly. She understood immediately. Go.

Artemis dodged a puppy-sized chunk of building as she sprinted up the steps towards the front door. The security stationed there had dispersed. She grabbed an arrow from her quiver and shot it at the door, hitting it square in the lock. The arrow's tip glowed, and the lock melted away. Artemis kicked the door open and hurtled inside.

_What's the plan?_ Artemis thought loudly as she ran down the hallways.

She didn't have time to get a reply before Superboy was thrown through a nearby wall, missing her by inches. She skidded to a stop in time to see him collide with the wall before falling to all fours with a pained grunt. Artemis grabbed another arrow and turned her head, eyes searching for her teammate's assail-holy _Mother_, was this guy fat.

Artemis could only stare as this giant, globular man lumbered towards them, crashing through the brick walls easily as tearing through wrapping paper. He was _massive_. His body tilted a little from side to side as he walked, his countless rolls of fat rippling with each step. His shorts and too-small muscle shirt clung to his red, blotchy skin. The shirt wasn't able to fully contain his stomach, so his belly button protruded out in full view, just as red and bulbous as the rest of him. The man's double chin was so large that it completely obscured his neck from view, giving his head the appearance of just jutting out of his shoulders. His beady eyes and tiny, puckered mouth were lit up with a stupid smile, and as he neared them he gave a loud chuckle not unlike the giggling of a giant baby.

"Duh-huh-huh-huh!" He giggled, smashing through the last wall. Artemis got a hold of herself and loosed the arrow, aimed at the ground just in front of his feet. It exploded into a foamy blob, sticking to elephant-guy's feet. The guy made a frustrated noise and lifted his feet, trying to free them from the sticky mess. He gave an angry cry and flailed his arm out, grazing Artemis and sending her tumbling. "DUH-HUH-HUH!" He laughed, pointing at her as she struggled to her feet, winded.

There was a roar of fury, and the giant dude turned just in time for Superboy's fist to collide with his fleshy face. To Superboy's shock, he didn't teeter back, but stayed perfectly grounded. Superboy tried again, throwing himself with all his might at his opponent. The big guy didn't even budge. Now it was Artemis's turn to be shocked. Getting hit by an angry Superboy was like getting hit by a freight train. What was this guy made of?

Blob guy (_I'm just gonna call him Blob,_ Artemis thought), retaliated, catching Superboy's fist as he wound up for another punch and hitting him against the ceiling before flinging him like a rag doll across the room. Superboy smacked into the wall (again) before collapsing to the ground. Blob struggled against the hardened foam, kicking his feet out so that cracks appeared along the sides of the mess. The foam suddenly shattered, and Blob laughed as he stomped his now-free elephant feet over to Superboy. He stooped down to pick Superboy up, treating Artemis to a thoroughly-unwanted view of his plumber's crack, and straightened, holding Superboy by the scruff of his neck. Superboy managed to come to his senses in time to lift with his abdominal muscles and bring his feet up, kicking Blob in the neck. Neck-ish, Artemis couldn't really tell. Apparently, Superboy's foot had reached Blob's trachea underneath all that fat. Blob recoiled, gagging, and dropped Superboy to the ground. Superboy braced himself for another attack before Blob stopped short. The big lug stumbled a little, looking dazed, before standing ramrod straight and screaming. There was a smell of burning flesh and hair. Sparks danced around his form before he collapsed forwards, revealing no less than three taser arrows lodged in one of his back folds.

"You okay?" Artemis called, running over to him.

"Fine," Superboy snapped, wiping a trickle of blood away from his bottom lip.

_I need backup,_ Robin's voice said suddenly, over the psychic link. _Conference room, third floor. ASAP!_

Artemis and Superboy glanced at each other before rounding the corner and sprinting up the stairs.

* * *

Robin launched himself into a somersault mid-air, aiming a flying kick for Magneto's head. Magneto shot a hand out, willing one of the metal tables to come in between them. Robin realized this and changed his angle at just the right moment, using the table as a launching pad instead and flipping back to the ground. The smoke from Robin's smoke pellet had somewhat dispersed, at least enough that Magneto could see him.

"You're fast, boy. I'll give you that," Magneto said. He reached up, causing the metal lining of the lights to peel away from the ceiling and curl themselves into sharp spikes, before sending them flying at Robin. Robin dodged them easily with a couple flips.

"That the best you got?" He taunted.

Magneto sneered. "Enough of this nonsense. _Toad_!"

Robin's hands slid to his utility belt. He pulled out an explosive disk.

THWACK!

The disk was pulled out of his grip by something that wrapped around it. Something long, wet, and slimy. Robin turned to see a depressingly ugly little man in tights and a tunic spit it into his hands and hold it up triumphantly. "New toy!" He croaked in a raspy voice.

Magneto summoned large metal chair to rise into the air and hurled it at Robin, who ducked just in time. The table had bought the man (Toad, Robin guessed?) just enough time to leap forwards, flipping the cape over Robin's head. Robin wasn't hindered, detaching it almost instantly.

"Ye-OUCH!" Apparently Toad discovered the taser hidden in the cape. Miraculously, though, he stayed conscious, only dazed and slightly singed around the edges. Enhanced durability, Robin supposed.

Robin lunged at Toad, but was stopped dead in his tracks, being pulled back at the waist somehow. He felt himself be lifted into the air, and then the world became a blur as he was spun through the air like a human ceiling fan.

The belt. The metal tools in his belt.

Robin reached down and undid the buckle, freeing him from Magneto's grip but also sending him careening through the air.

Just then, the door opened in a blur of red and yellow. "You rang-WHOA!" Robin collided with Kid Flash and they were both sent tumbling out of the room.

"Grab Ivanoff!" Magneto ordered. Toad grinned.

"Yes, sir!" He bounded over to the desks and leapt on them, snickering as he went.

Just outside, Robin and Kid Flash came to a skidding stop, sprawled out next to each other on the floor. Kid Flash blinked up at the ceiling, trying to regain his bearings. "Gotta say," he said shakily, "I'm not a new fan of your new way of saying 'hello.'"

Robin shook his head, coming back to his senses. "The Toad guy! He's got one of my-"

A large explosion cut him off, proving his foresight correct. Robin and Kid Flash turned their faces away from the heat, their hair whipping around in the wind. "KF! Get the people out of the room!" Robin shouted.

"On it," Kid Flash responded, zipping into the room in a blur.

_What happened?_ Aqualad demanded. _Is anyone hurt?_

_We don't know yet, _Robin answered, _but Magneto and one of his guys are attempting to escape with Ivanoff._

_We shall have to cut them off then, _Aqualad decided. _Robin, meet me at the West entrance. Miss Martian, we will need your assistance. _

_Actually, I'm a little busy at the moment,_ Miss Martian cut in. _I'm at the-_

There was a muffled cry, and then silence.

_M'gann? M'gann!_

Superboy froze in his spot. Artemis was a few steps in front of him by the time she realized he had stopped, and she turned around.

"What?!" She cried. "Superboy, let's go!"

Superboy shook his head. "I'm finding M'gann." He took off in the opposite direction, leaping down the stairs.

"Oh, for the love of- fine!" Whatever. Artemis turned around and kept running.

Suddenly, she heard something to her left. Artemis turned just in time to see this blue blur coming at her at breakneck speed. A...person, she realized as he came closer. She saw his eyes widen, realizing what was about to happen. And then Artemis felt herself be knocked off her feet and sent spinning and rolling along the ground, striking limbs and heads with the other person before skidding to a stop, with him sprawled out on top of her.

Artemis groaned, blinking her eyes blearily. That really hurt. Everything ached, but her head hurt the worst. She hoped to God she didn't have a concussion.

The kid didn't seem to be much better, propping himself up unsteadily on all fours and nursing what looked to be a nasty forming-bruise on his forehead. He looked down at her. They locked eyes.

Oh.

For a breathless second neither of them moved. Then the boy got up, attempting to climb over her. Artemis barely had a second to react by reaching up and grabbing his ankle, sending him crashing to the floor.

He twisted and kicked at her chest, which she had expected and dodged easily. What she hadn't expected was the hunting knife that he flicked out into his hand and swiped at her with. Artemis felt a sharp pain just above her gloveline and she reeled back. A cut, long but shallow, was leaking blood down her forearm.

Her recoil had bought him enough time to scramble to his feet and begin to move away. Artemis reacted. She grabbed her bow, which she had dropped a few feet away during the tumble, and fired an arrow in one fluid, practiced motion. The arrow's blunted tip collided with the ground a few feet in front of him and exploded on impact, forcing him to turn around. She saw his eyes flick to her bow, and suddenly he was a blur again, moving towards her. Artemis had time to fire one more arrow (missing him) before he was on her, grabbing the bow and attempting to yank it out of her hands. She pulled back. He pulled again. She pulled back, harder. He decided to change the game.

Using his speed, he twisted his body, forcing the bow down and pulling her into his side, where he brought up an elbow aimed for her nose. Had Artemis not been used to sparring with people with superpowers, he probably would have broken it. However, Artemis's muscle memory allowed her to react quickly enough to dodge it and let go, shooting one leg out and bringing it around to sweep his feet out from under him.

_Huh_, she thought fleetingly as she watched him fall on his butt. _Never thought I would end up appreciating those sparring sessions with Kid Flash. _

To his credit, the boy recovered quickly, tossing the bow away and standing up again. Artemis leapt at him, hoping to tackle him, but he was too quick. He turned and caught her over his shoulder, flipping her onto the ground. He dropped to his knees, straddling her and bringing the knife up. Artemis moved her head to the side just a fraction of a second before the knife came down, missing her by half an inch.

He'd been backed into a corner. Artemis would have to think fast.

She headbutted him in the face. He snapped back with a sharp curse in Transian. Artemis took advantage of the distraction by lifting her hips and twisting, flipping them over so she was the one pinning him to the ground. She grabbed his wrists and forced them back onto the ground, sending the knife clattering out of his hand.

"Gotcha," Artemis panted.

The boy glared up at her, breathing hard. "Bite me," he spat. In English.

Feeling satisfied at the victory, Artemis tried to tap into the mental link. _I've got one of them in custody. I-_

WHAM!

Artemis's thoughts were cut short as she found herself tumbling off him, pushed off by a piece of debris that had been hurled at her. She landed on her stomach, winded.

She looked up. A girl, about the same age as the guy, was helping him to his feet. The girl said in Transian, gesturing at Artemis. The boy shook his head and picked the girl up bridal-style, whisking them both away in a whirl.

Struggling to her feet, she took off in their direction.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading! If you liked it, let me know with a review!

Couple side notes: In this cross DC-Marvel Universe, the DC term "metahuman" and the Marvel term "mutant" are used interchangeably. Here, "mutant" is the less formal, slightly cruder term for the more proper "metahuman."

Also, I chose to go with Season 1 team/setting because that is the one I am most familiar with. I know a little bit about Season 3 and think that the metahuman trafficking plot would pair well with the X-Men mythos, but seeing as I am an (extremely) poor college student I haven't gotten a subscription to the DC streaming service and haven't been able to see any Season 3 episodes yet. So Season 1 it is.

Again, thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 2

Flames and debris shot out of the side of the building, scattering people in all directions. From the giant hole in the wall, Toad leapt out, proudly holding an unconscious Ivanoff over his shoulder.

"Toad!" Magneto called from behind. Toad spun around to face him.

"Yessir?"

Before Magneto could give another order, a purple blur whisked up to them, ruffling their clothes. The blur stopped, and the boy let his sister down to the ground. Toad grinned at the newcomers.

"Wanda!" He cried, ignoring the boy. He lifted Ivanoff up, showing him off like a child would show off their new toy. He gave her a boastful grin. "Look what I got!"

Wanda ignored him. "Who are these people? They're not Justice League," she said to Magneto.

"I fought Robin! And I used one of his gadgets to blow up the wall!" Toad said excitedly. "Pretty cool, huh, Wanda?"

Magneto cut him off. "I don't recognize most of them, but if Robin's here, his mentor can't be far behind. Where are the others?"

Wanda looked at her brother. "Pietro?" But Pietro only shrugged.

The frown lines set even deeper into Magneto's face. In that moment, he looked very old. "No matter," he said. "Let's move out."

Wanda blinked in surprise. "You mean just leave them?"

"They are replaceable," Magneto said coldly. Wanda was taken aback. She wasn't particularly fond of most of the 'team' they had formed (save for, of course, her twin, although even he had his moments), but she didn't think they deserved to just be abandoned. She sent Pietro a look, to which he shrugged helplessly. She bit back a groan of frustration.

"We can go back for them," she protested. Toad raised his eyebrows at her, but Magneto didn't say anything. Wanda spoke louder. "We shouldn't just-"

"Enough!" Magneto whirled on her. "I gave an order!"

Wanda was about to open her mouth to reply when Toad suddenly cried out, thrashing and twitching in a frenzy of sparks. Ivanoff dropped to the ground, tumbling away from them like a rag doll.

Toad went limp, and the water-like whip unraveled itself from around his waist. Toad dropped like a stone. Three heads whipped around to see Aqualad standing a few yards away, approaching them.

Pietro sped forward, aiming to tackle him. Aqualad swung at him, but Pietro's speed allowed him to dodge it easily. They made full contact and tumbled to the ground.

Magneto started to run towards Ivanoff, but a blur of red and yellow passed him by, tripping him and knocking him gracelessly to the ground. Wanda watched the blur begin to circle them, faster and faster. She knew instantly what was happening; she'd seen her brother do it before. Fortunately, she'd lived with her brother all her life, and had experience with hitting moving targets.

She pointed at a spot in the air and concentrated. The effect was instant. As the blur passed where she was pointing, it lost its balance and slid, tripping and tumbling before skidding to a stop.

She didn't have much time to relish her victory before she felt a pair of hands on her from behind, grabbing at her arms. She yelped in surprise and struggled, her powers flaring out in self-defense. Robin was thrown off her, but landed on his feet, aiming to come at her again. She was ready this time, and as he came at her with a series of gymnastic flips, she channeled her power and he lost his balance, spinning out of the air and landing a few yards off target.

Magneto got up from the ground, wincing slightly from the fall. Toad had snapped out of his electrocuted daze and was blinking rapidly, trying to sit up. An arrow suddenly whizzed through the air and buried itself in the left shoulder of Magneto's armor.

He turned to see a young woman in green running at him, aiming another arrow at him. She released it, and it flew towards him. Instinctively, he stuck out a hand in between the arrow and himself. The metal warped, and the arrow whizzed harmlessly past him. Undeterred, she notched another arrow and fired it. And another. Magneto backed away, sending the arrows flying off target. Some of the explosive arrows detonated, exploding at random in the surrounding area. Magneto growled low in his throat. It wasn't as much dangerous to him as it was irritating. He sent the metal of her quiver down towards the ground, and she fell backwards, struggling to get up as the quiver pinned her to the ground.

Temporarily relieved, Magneto looked around them. Pietro was busy wrestling with Aqualad. Wanda was dodging attacks from Robin. Toad was sitting up, wincing. And, he noted, they were being surrounded. Armored vans full of police had the area surrounded, with SWAT teams wielding guns beginning to form a circle around the area. They were beginning to close in.

Wanda threw whatever she could at Robin, summoning the pavement underneath his feet to warp, sending him off balance. To his credit, he was a trooper. She was getting more and more frustrated, finally sending a huge ripple in the pavement that caused the ground to all but explode under his feet. He was sent off into the air, wheeling around like a human firework. But not before sending an improbably well-aimed thing at her.

She gasped as she realized what it was, and threw herself as far out of the way as possible. The explosion detonated, and would have seriously hurt her if she hadn't willed herself to be as far out of the way as possible. Her powers kicked in. To an outsider, it would have seemed that she had 'glitched' out of the way. She landed sprawling a few feet away, propping herself up on shaking arms. She wasn't harmed.

Magneto had had enough. It was now or never.

He grabbed Ivanoff and reached out towards the first police van he saw, willing the metal of the gas tank and the combustion engine to pull together, squeezing together tight. For a few seconds, there was no sound, just the sight of the metal truck warping, and then the explosion.

Pietro, who had been locked in a wrestling match with the Atlantean, coincidentally turned his head at the perfect moment to realize what was going on. He understood immediately. Knowing his sister was nearby, raw adrenalized strength siezed him, and he shoved the surprised Aqualad off him and sped towards his sister just as the force of the blast sent everyone and everything in the area flying.

For a while, there was nothing.

When he opened his eyes, there was a loud ringing in his ears and a sharp pain in his abdomen. He grimaced and took a shaky inhale, which hurt even more. He looked down and was horrified to see blood oozing from his side, a piece of shrapnel buried there.

He turned his head, rolling slightly to the side, to see if Wanda had fared better. She wasn't there.

He snapped his head to the other side. She wasn't there, either. Panic started to flood his system, adding a certain urgency to his already shallow breaths. He struggled to his feet and ran, using as much speed as he could without his muscles screaming in agony.

In the time he had been unconscious, the plaza area had filled with people. The police that hadn't been caught in the blast were running around. EMS professionals had begun descending on the area. People were crying, searching for lost family members, attending to each other. He didn't see any superheroes at the moment, or any of his team members. But at the moment, he really didn't care.

Pietro stumbled forward, looking everywhere. He scanned the crowd for any sign of her, every red jacket, every pair of black boots, every head of long brown hair.

He spotted a pair of black boots sticking almost comically out of a crowd of EMS personnel as they worked with a patient. Pietro's heart seized in his chest.

"Wanda?" He yelped, darting forward and pushing into the crowd to catch a glimpse of the victim's face, half-hoping it was her and half-dreading it.

The victim beneath the oxygen mask wasn't Wanda. Pietro let out a breath of what could have been anxiety or relief; he wasn't sure.

"Hey!" The EMT he had shoved swatted Pietro away, glaring venom at him. "What the hell do you think you're-" the man paused, looking down at Pietro's shirt that was drenched in blood. He looked back up at Pietro. "Hey," he said in a softer tone, "are you okay, buddy?"

Pietro backed away a few steps. "I-I'm fine," he mumbled.

The man stood slowly, his hands out reassuringly. "Now, now, just take it easy…"

One of the other EMTs seemed to notice the situation and was approaching him carefully.

"Leave me alone."

"Just relax…"

"We can help you…"

"Don't!" Pietro snatched his arm out of the second man's reach. Who did he think he was, to try and grab him like that?

One of the EMTs did an almost imperceptible nod. Pietro could barely react before two strong arms grabbed him around the chest from behind.

"Let me go!" Pietro twisted, struggling against his captor. One of the EMTs radioed in about a "combative patient." The arms were locked around him in a vice grip, and the more he kicked and squirmed, the more panicked that Pietro got. He felt the bite of a needle in the side of his neck, and the plunger pushed down. That was the last straw. Out of desperation, Pietro bent his head down to the man's forearm and bit hard.

There was a shocked shout, and the man instantly let go. Pietro hit the ground with a grunt before scrambling to his feet again, adrenaline pumping frantically through his veins.

The other EMTs attempted to intercept him, but he was (naturally) too fast. The adrenaline was overpowering whatever drug they had given him, and he used that to his advantage to speed away as fast as he could.

Once he felt he was far enough, Pietro slowed down to a halt. He was in a back alley near downtown. He felt his knees give out, catching himself by leaning against a wall just in time. He slid down the wall to a seated position, clutching at the wound in his stomach. Even with advanced healing, he knew it was bad.

He was starting to feel dizzy. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to clear it, but it didn't. He wasn't sure if it was the wound or whatever was in that needle, but either were pretty bad options. He sucked in a breath and tilted his head to look at the sky.

It wasn't the first time he had felt like he was going to die. Hey, at least he hadn't done it to himself this time.

There was a breeze and the sound of footsteps. Pietro felt a presence next to him. His head snapped to the side to see two yellow and red-clad legs. He realized further that they were attached to the body of Kid Flash, who was looking down at him in concern.

"Hey, just relax," Kid Flash said, kneeling down and reaching towards him.

Pietro smacked his hand away, scooting as far away as he could from him. "Don't touch me," he warned.

Kid Flash didn't move. Maybe if he got up now, he could still make a break for it. Experimentally, Pietro tried to get to his feet, but even at a half-kneel the world spun and he teetered back to the ground.

"It's gonna be way easier if you don't fight it," Kid Flash told him. "Let me help you."

Pietro swore at him. His bleary mind didn't know if he swore in English or Transian, but the sentiment was the same.

The edges of his vision were beginning to grow fuzzy, and Pietro felt like he might vomit. He gave a cough, a spatter of blood flying out onto the pavement. He felt two hands reach towards him and touch him, rolling him gently onto his side. He tried to swat the hands away, to tell him to leave him alone, but he couldn't find the strength to. The world around him spun into total darkness.


	4. Chapter 3

"Terror in New York City last night as deadly attacks rocked the Conference for International Metahuman Rights. Officials say the perpetrators were a group of radical pro-mutant terrorists, most notably the infamous Magneto, targeting President Ivanoff of Transia. Three were killed in the fallout, and forty-six people were hospitalized with critical injuries. Two suspects are in custody, while Ivanoff and three suspects, including Magneto, are still at large. Local and federal police are working with members of the Justice League to locate the suspects and their hostage."

The clip cut to footage of the damage. Robin narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses.

Generally speaking, the night's outcome had been less than ideal. While there were far more injured than actually dead, the casualty number was uncomfortably high. Magneto had managed to escape, taking Ivanoff with him. He and two of his minions were still at large, and now an international League-assisted manhunt was underway. Miss Martian was on bed rest nursing a nasty head injury. Overall, Batman wasn't very pleased. On the upside, they had managed to capture two of the other members of the Brotherhood, the really big guy and the speedster.

Artemis finished adjusting the bandages on her arm. Honestly, the cut wasn't that bad, and she felt like a wuss wearing all this bandaging, but Dr. Mid-Nite hadn't been in any mood to argue, so. Here she was.

"I took the DNA samples we took while they were unconscious and ran them against an international database," Robin explained, tapping something on the keyboard and drawing up another holographic image. "We got a match for both of them. The big guy, Fred Dukes, has been arrested several times in Texas on assault, petty thievery, among other crimes."

The screen showed a slightly younger Blob's mugshot, along with his rap sheet. The next image was another mugshot of the speedster.

"Other perp came back as Pietro Maximoff, who served some time in a Transian Max-Security prison until he escaped."

"What was his crime?" Wally asked.

"Assault, some robbery, mostly stuff to do with gang activity. More politically charged crimes," Robin said. He shrugged. "Figures, I guess."

The door swished open, announcing Aqualad and Superboy's presence. The other three turned to look at them.

"Hey," Wally greeted them. "How's M'gann?"

"She is recovering well," Aqualad reported. "Dr. Mid-Nite predicts she will be fully healed in one or two days."

Superboy glowered at the screen. "Did they catch the rest of them yet?"

Robin shook his head. "We haven't heard anything yet."

"Have the two in custody spoken at all yet?" Aqualad asked.

Robin closed the two open screens and pulled up a different window, this screen split into two live video feeds. On the left side, a temporary holding cell was occupied by the huge dude, who was slumped gracelessly over the makeshift cot. When he had first awoken, he had lashed out with such a vengeance that they had had no choice but to use the collar around his neck to taze him into oblivion. They gave him a heavy dose of sedatives after that, and now he was drooling all over himself as he slept.

On the right side, the speedster sat in an interrogation room, staring calmly at the table in front of him, only moving to scratch impatiently at the electric collar around his neck. He had been less than forthcoming on his identity. Actually, he'd been less than forthcoming on anything. He hadn't spoken one word since he'd woken up.

It was Black Canary who had suggested the food. He was a speedster, after all, and a teenage boy to boot. If Wally had taught them anything, it was that there could never be enough food for a teenage speed mutant.

The team watched the live feed as the door to the interrogation room swung open and Black Canary entered, carrying a tray piled with food. Sandwiches, potato salad, fresh fruit, some cookies. Wally's stomach growled in jealousy. "What?" he asked defensively, but Artemis only rolled her eyes.

Black Canary set the tray down in front of the boy...Pietro. "Thought you might be hungry," she told him. "I know how speedsters get."

Pietro looked at the tray, then back to her. Then, slowly and deliberately, he pushed the tray away from him.

Black Canary smirked at the gesture. "You're set to be a challenge, aren't you?" He shrugged. "Figures," she said. "From what I've seen on the tapes, this clearly isn't your first rodeo."

He was silent.

Black Canary rested her hands on the table, leaning forward, playing the sympathetic. "I know this has been hard for you. I really don't want this to be any more difficult for you than it already is. If you help me, I can certainly help you."

There was a long pause.

The boy's dark eyes flicked up to meet hers. Then, quietly, he said, "I do know when I am being manipulated."

"So you do speak," Black Canary said, smiling triumphantly. "And English, too."

He rolled his eyes.

"So if we're on speaking terms now, maybe you'd like to tell me a little bit more about yourself...Pietro."

To his credit, he barely stiffened when she said his name, just stared coolly at her. She laced her fingers together and rested her chin on them, propping her elbows up on the table. "We've got your prison records. Seems like you've been on the wrong side of the law for a while now. Is that how you met Magneto?"

He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. She returned the stare. Finally, she slid an envelope out from underneath the tray of food and opened it, pulling out a few documents. She flipped through them.

"Let's see...most of this starts about two years ago, when you were about fourteen, fifteen maybe? Pickpocketing, petty theft, and that graduates to gang activity, disturbing the peace, assault, and arson. You were supposed to spend seven years in prison for that. And then you escaped, and you were gone for a while until you showed up in a full-blown terrorist organization." She tossed the papers onto the table before him, where he stared at them dispassionately. She leaned back in her chair. "Anything I missed?"

"What is it that you want from me?" Pietro asked.

Black Canary was not thrown by the sudden directness. "I just want to know more about you."

"Why?"

"How was your time in prison, Pietro?"

"What is it you want me to say?" Pietro snapped. "What do you want to hear? You want to know about the solitary confinement? The showers?"

Black Canary snapped to attention. "Did something happen to you there?"

Pietro stared at her for a moment. "No," he said, a bit unconvincingly.

Black Canary's eyebrows knit together.

Pietro groaned. "Why are you so interested in me? Why don't you just send me back to Transia?"

Black Canary crossed her legs. "I need to know if you have information on Magneto's current whereabouts. That's what interests me."

"I'm not giving you anything."

"And that's another thing," she said. "I want to know what you have to gain by protecting Magneto. I mean, he left you behind. That has to miff you a little, right?"

Pietro barked out a laugh. "I don't care about Magneto."

"Then why keep quiet?"

"Maybe I just don't like you."

Black Canary smiled and shook her head. "No...no, I don't think so. I think you're protecting someone." A guess. "The girl who was with you."

Pietro's eyebrow twitched. Bingo.

"What is she to you? Friend? Girlfriend?" No response. "Sister?"

Pietro went stone-faced, but it was too late. Black Canary knew in an instant.

"There wasn't any mention of a sister in our records, but I guess we weren't really looking for her, either." A realization struck her. "She left you behind to escape."

Pietro's eyes flashed angrily. "No, she didn't."

Black Canary's voice was even. "How can you know for sure?"

"Because I do."

His teeth clenched, and Black Canary backed off. "I understand," she said quietly. "You're afraid that something might happen to her if you tell me where she is. But Pietro, the only way you can make sure she'll be safe is to turn her in."

He laughed. "You don't care about her, or me! You just want to know where Ivanoff is."

"That's true. But at least I can promise that the League will bring no harm to her," Black Canary said, which was really only a half-truth. "Do you think INTERPOL could make you that promise? Or the FBI?"

Pietro's eyes narrowed.

"I don't know where she is. But you're insane if you think I would ever betray my sister."

He leaned back in his chair, glaring icily at her. Black Canary had been through enough interrogations to know he wouldn't give anything else. Not for a while, anyway.

She got up from the chair. "I'll be back."

"Pizda mă-tii, gagică!"

She smiled at him. "Try the food. I swear I didn't do anything to it."

The interrogation room door swung shut behind her, locking with a click. Pietro stared at the tray of food. Hesitantly, he reached out his handcuffed hands and grabbed a potato chip, shoving it into his mouth.

When Robin heard the insult, his ears perked up. One word in particular.

Gagică.

He hadn't heard many offensive terms for non-Gypsies thrown around in a while, not since he had left the circus. But this kid yelling stuff like that meant that he was likely Romani.

"What's up?" Wally asked. Robin hadn't said anything, had barely moved, but Wally knew him too well.

"I think I know how to get through to this guy," Robin said.

* * *

When Wanda woke up, she was struck by the familiar scent of hand sanitizer. She opened her eyes and immediately recognized that she was in a hospital.

A moment of panic seized her, and her hands instinctively flew to her neck. There was no collar. She exhaled a sigh of relief.

She looked around. The window was shut and the sky outside was dark.

A male nurse wearing green scrubs knocked at the door. "Hey there," he said in English. "How are you feeling?"

She had a splitting headache, but other than that, she felt normal. "I am fine," she said.

The nurse grinned. "Good, good. Can you tell me your name?"

"Maria Meier." She gave her fake name. All the Brotherhood had agreed-upon fake names in case of situations like this.

"Can you tell me where you are?"

"A...hospital?"

"Right," he smiled reassuringly. He asked her a few more questions, like what year is it, and if she had any pain, and when she answered to his satisfaction he told her to watch the penlight as he moved it around.

"Could you please tell me what happened?" She asked him, following the light with her eyes.

The nurse nodded. "It's pretty normal not to remember everything surrounding a head injury. Your dad brought you in with a nasty concussion, he said you fell off your bike. Do you remember anything about that?"

_Dad?_

She frowned and shook her head no.

"Well, you were in and out of consciousness for a while, so we were a little concerned. But I don't see any lasting signs of brain injury. I'm gonna go tell the doc."

"Excuse me?" The nurse paused in the doorway, turning around. "Could I see my...my father, please?" Father. The words, so long unused, sounded foreign in her mouth.

The nurse grinned. "Sure thing."

Wanda was left alone with her thoughts.

A few minutes later, Magneto walked through the door, though looking far less Magneto than usual. In a casual button up and jeans, his hair no longer held back by a helmet, he was very much Erik Magnus now. Excepting the fake mustache, he looked close to how he did when she had first met him.

When he saw her, he gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Hello."

Wanda frowned. "Where are we?" She demanded, switching to Transian.

"Gotham City, New Jersey." Wanda blanched. Erik held up his hands. "Do not worry," he told her, also in Transian. "Batman won't think to look for us in his own backyard."

"What happened? Where's Pietro?"

"There was an explosion. It was much unexpected; you were knocked out by the blast. Luckily, I was able to escape with you, Toad, and our good friend Ivanoff. Those two are getting acquainted in our safe house."

"You didn't answer my second question."

Erik sighed in a classic _you-got-me_ type of way. "I am sorry, my dear. I couldn't save you all at once."

Wanda was livid. "You LEFT him?" In spite of herself, the objects on the bedside table began to levitate off the ground in her fury. Erik lunged for the door and shut it.

"Now, now, easy," he said, "let's remember ourselves, and where we are."

She growled, but grudgingly checked herself. The objects fell back to their rightful place in a chorus of thunks. "Was he arrested?" She seethed.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?! How could you _do_ that?!"

"Voices," he reminded, infuriatingly calm. "I have every intention of getting him back, Wanda. And Fred. What we needed was a little more time to set up Plan B before moving forward."

"I'm getting him back," she told him.

"Yes, you will."

Wanda folded her arms. "Why did you take me here?"

"You needed a hospital, Wanda."

"You're not my father."

"I know. I had to tell them _something_." Wanda narrowed her eyes at him, then shifted them to the floor. Erik cleared his throat. "They wanted to keep you overnight for observation, but I convinced them to let us go home. I'll get your clothes."

With a flick of the wrist, the metal doorknob twisted and the door opened. He stepped out into the hall.

Wanda drew her knees up to her chest, staring at the floor. How could this have happened again? Guilt pooled in her stomach. This was her fault. Again. She had to find him.

* * *

_Do you remember anything?_

She remembered flying through the air, trying to find Aqualad

_What happened?_

There was a girl. She could see her, running, brown hair streaming behind her. M'gann reached out a hand, moving a wall to block her path. Then she was falling

_What happened after that?_

M'gann tried to find her balance but couldn't and the wind was knocked out of her as she connected with the ground

_And then_

She tried to get up but there was a flash of red light and she was flying but she wasn't flying she was thrown into a wall and then she tried to get up and she was thrown again and again

Martian Manhunter stroked his injured niece's forehead. He had been granted a reprieve from the hunt for the Brotherhood at Dr. Mid-Nite's request.

"Her thoughts, while scrambled, are gaining clarity," Martian Manhunter said. "But I agree with you. Her reaction seems different than that of a usual head injury."

"I thought so," Dr. Mid-Nite said. "I figured, even a nasty concussion she'd recover faster. You should have seen her when she came in, though. Kept flipping through different forms. It was like her abilities were malfunctioning."

"It's unlikely it was the work of another telepath," Martian Manhunter said.

"What would it be? Some kind of power leech? Reality warper?"

"We'll find out soon enough, once those responsible are apprehended."

"You're right." Dr. Mid-Nite looked up at Martian Manhunter. "You think she'll pull through?"

"Without a doubt," Martian Manhunter said. "And I'm sure she will be the stronger for it."

M'gann twitched, moving her head slightly. Healing.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: I own nothing.

* * *

Reporters swarmed as the doors opened and the Director for the Office of National Emergency stepped out, flanked by her secretary and agents that pushed people aside to make a path to the waiting vehicle. Questions flew from every angle.

"Can you tell us anything about the progress in the manhunt?"

"Will these attacks affect mutant amnesty rights in the US?"

"Is it true there was a security leak at the UN headquarters?"

"We have no comments at this time," her assistant said, but the director answered anyway.

"I don't know how this is going to go politically, that's not my job. Our people are working as fast as they can to find those responsible. That's all I have to say."

The reporters erupted into another battery of questions, but the director and her secretary had already ducked into the vehicle and shut the door behind them.

The car started moving. When they were finally beyond the city limits, the director breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"I know," her secretary said sympathetically.

"This is going to screw up everything. The last thing the pro-mutant rights movement needed was this. And now it seems like we're never going to be able to find these guys. I mean, helicopters, superheroes, checkpoints at the limits of every major city on the coast and still nothing."

"Oh, yeah. Valerie, I know you've got a lot on your plate now, but-"

"What. Did Fury call again?"

"No. It was the Director of the FBI. Seems he has an idea for a different strategy."

Valerie groaned and massaged her temples. "Do you have anything for a headache?"

The secretary smiled. "Yeah, actually, I do."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small syringe. Valerie looked at it for a moment in confusion.

"Wha-"

Suddenly, the secretary plunged it into her neck. Valerie screamed and tried to push her off, but the drug's effects were quick. She went limp.

The car pulled over and screeched to a halt. A few seconds later, the passenger door flew open and a bodyguard stuck his head in. "What are you-"

Bam. He fell. The other bodyguard fumbled for his gun but also fell. The secretary put down her gun and pulled out her cell phone.

"These New York attacks are just the latest in a LONG line of mutant attacks. Coincidence? I think not!" The man's irritating voice seemed to fill the car, grating against Wanda's eardrums. "These mutants, these terrorists are being allowed to live undetected beneath the surface. The countless supervillains that have sprung out of the woodwork in the past decade haven't been enough to wake us up. And the Justice League certainly isn't doing enough to keep it under control. When will society wake up?!"

"That's enough of that," Erik said sharply, turning the radio off with a click. He gripped the steering wheel harder. "When we finish with Ivanoff, that Gordon Godfrey is next on our list," he murmured darkly.

Wanda did not answer. She stared out the window into the darkness, mindlessly twisting her necklace in her fingers.

A high-pitched electronic beeping came from his back pocket. He whipped out his cell phone and answered it, keeping one hand on the steering wheel. "Erik?" asked the voice on the other end.

"Yes. Where are you?"

"The better question is, where are you?" The "secretary" nudged one of the bodyguards with her foot. He didn't move.

"We are heading to temporary headquarters. Moving on to Plan B."

"Who is we?"

Erik glanced over at Wanda, who was watching him. "Wanda. I'm afraid her brother and Fred were apprehended."

"Pity," she said. Her tone implied she really didn't care.

"I thought you said you had everything under control," Erik said.

"I did. I wasn't counting on Justice League Junior to pop in."

"We couldn't even get the real Justice League to come. How humiliating."

"Well, they're looking for you now," Mystique said.

"And whose fault is that?"

"I'm not going to argue about it with you now," she said. "Just tell me what you need me to do."

"We carry on as planned. Plan B."

"Sounds fine. Talk to you soon."

She hung up and shoved the phone into her pocket, her skin morphing and changing shape until she was the splitting image of the unconscious woman. She reached into the woman's pocket and pulled out her wallet. The identification badge inside read, VALERIE COOPER.

Wanda watched Erik hang up and shove the phone into his back pocket, keeping his eyes on the road. "What is Plan B, exactly?"

Erik kept his eyes on the road, not answering her. Wanda sighed and turned her gaze back to the darkness outside.

The little car (stolen, naturally) drove for what seemed like years through the New Jersey countryside. The lights of the city had been long since left behind.

At last, Erik turned off the empty rural highway and onto a gravel road that cut through a wooded area. Gravel crunched beneath the tires as they neared their new temporary headquarters, an old abandoned farmhouse.

"Here we are," Erik said, turning off the headlights.

Wanda twitched her fingers and the passenger door flew open. She hopped out, closing it behind her. The two walked up to the porch.

Erik flexed his hand, and the ancient metal doorknob turned and opened. The door squeaked open, revealing pitch dark on the inside.

Suddenly, a ball of acidic bile launched out at them from the darkness, narrowly missing Wanda's shoulder and hitting the wall behind her.

"Toad! It's us!" Erik yelled.

"Oh. Sorry boss!" A raspy voice croaked out. The lights snapped on, revealing Toad on the other side of the kitchen, hand on the light switch. "Didn't know it was you. We should have a secret knock or something."

"I'll take that into consideration," Erik said coolly.

"What did you do with Ivanoff?" Wanda asked.

"Oh, he's in the cellar," Toad said. He squatted down, yelling at the floor. "Right, Vicky?"

There were some thumps and muffled yelling in response. Toad giggled.

"We've had a lovely time together."

"You checked him for trackers? Anything that could give us away?" Erik asked.

Toad nodded. "I even fed him and everything."

"Good," Erik said, stalking across the kitchen. He peeled off his fake mustache and threw it carelessly to the ground. "Get some rest. We begin plan B tomorrow morning."

"You never said what Plan B was," Wanda pointed out.

Erik shook his head. "I'll tell you everything tomorrow. Get some rest, that's an order." And with that, he left.

"Sounds like Plan B is complicated," Toad said when he was sure Erik was out of earshot.

"Sounds like Plan B doesn't exist," Wanda replied.

"I'm sure it does," Toad said. "You know him. He doesn't tell us anything."

Before she could respond, the sound of helicopters overhead made them both freeze in their tracks. Wanda flexed her fingers and the light switched off, plunging them into darkness. Slowly, they crept over to the window above the sink, opening the curtain just enough to peer outside.

In the clear sky, the silhouettes of three helicopters and a dark human-shaped shadow flickered across the sky. Wanda and Toad held perfectly still, not daring to breathe.

The muffled shouting in the basement increased. Toad stomped on the floor. "Don't make me come down there!" He hissed. The shouting stopped.

The helicopters disappeared. Wanda let out a sigh of relief. She flicked the lights back on.

"That was a close one, huh, Wanda?" Toad squinted, his eyes adjusting to the light. "Don't worry, snookums, I would've protected you."

"I don't need your protection. And don't call me snookums."

"But-"

"It was a wonder that we made it out of Gotham in one piece," Wanda interrupted him. "The checkpoint guards didn't even seem to be trying."

"It's not like Gotham's known for its security," Toad laughed. "Just look at Arkham."

"Hm." Wanda sat down at the rickety kitchen table. "What do you think he's planning?"

"Magneto? I dunno." Toad shrugged. "I think his whole genius plan kind of went down the drain once the Bat Brat showed up."

"I was wondering about that," Wanda said. "Who were they, anyway?"

"There was Robin, and Kid Flash, and Aqualad for sure," Toad said. "I keep up with the American news. I didn't know the others, though."

"There was a green girl that flew," Wanda said, remembering. "She moved the walls with her mind."

"I bet you handled her, right, Wanda?"

Wanda ignored him. "We're going to have to figure out a way to find them. Pietro and Fred."

"It would be different if Lance was still around," Toad said.

She paused. "Yes."

"I don't get it," Toad continued bitterly. "Giving it all up for some stupid girl? I mean, not that some girls aren't worth giving it all up for," he scrambled.

She ignored him again. "It doesn't matter. He's gone now."

"He's probably making out with Shadowcat as we speak."

"Don't be gross." Wanda stood up. She began to walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to bed. Or at least I'm going to try to."

"Oh. Okay." There was a pause. "You want company?"

"If you come near my room I will hex you into a coma."

"I'll take that as a maybe!" Toad winced as an upstairs door slammed shut.

Wanda had found herself a small, unoccupied bedroom. She flopped onto the old bed, taking her sweater and balling it up under her head as a pillow. She looked out the window. Her body was extremely tired, but her mind was wide awake and whirring in worry. What if Pietro was hurt? What if he was in some underground prison cell somewhere and she'd never find him? Or worse, what if they were discovered and arrested before she even had a chance to find him?

After a few hours of laying motionless, she finally drifted off into a restless sleep.

* * *

When M'gann opened her eyes, she was exhausted. She turned her head to see Superboy sitting in the chair next to the infirmary bed. His elbow rested on the armchair, propping up his head, and he was snoring lightly.

His eyelashes were very long. They fanned out over his cheeks as he slept. Suddenly, his eyes opened.

"Hi," M'gann said.

"Hi." Superboy sat up, stretching out the crick in his neck. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired. But better." M'gann began to sit up, wincing slightly. Superboy made to get up, but she shook her head. "I'm fine."

Superboy didn't look convinced, but he backed off anyway. "Okay."

"How long was I out?"

"About half a day."

M'gann raised her eyebrows. "Wow. Really did a number on me, didn't it?"

"Do you remember anything?"

"Some." M'gann frowned, thinking it over. It was small bits and pieces, fragments.

A darkness settled over Superboy's features. "We're gonna find the guys that did that to you."

"It wasn't a guy." M'gann knew that for sure. She pictured the girl, the long brown hair, the red jacket. "It was the girl who was with them."

"Oh. Well, we'll find her, then."

M'gann gave a small smile. "I know we will. I'm counting on a rematch."

"What did she do, anyway?"

"I'm not sure." M'gann went through the events of the previous night in her head, as best as she could remember them. "I saw her messing with some of the lights, she was moving things with her hands. Then she saw me and made a run for it, so I drew the walls out to stop her. And then she pointed at me, and it was so strange...it wasn't telepathy, it was something else. A weird energy, like suddenly she had taken away all the control I had. And then it just hurt…" M'gann trailed off as the memories faded into blurry, obscure images. She looked over at Superboy, who was giving her a very distressed look. She gasped. "Conner? What's wrong?"

Superboy stared at her, not saying anything. Then he lurched forward and hugged her, holding onto her desperately.

_I was so worried about you_, he thought.

M'gann melted a little. _I'm alright_.

"Hey, hey, hey! Look who's up!" Came Artemis's voice from the doorway. She and Kaldur stepped in.

"It is good to see you awake, M'gann," Kaldur offered her a small smile. She grinned.

"Thanks."

"Kid Mouth would be here too, but Flash Sr. said he had to go to school. Apparently his sick days are pushing truancy limits," Artemis said.

"Where's Robin?"

"He went to talk to Black Canary. He'll be back eventually."

"What's happened since I've been out?" M'gann asked.

Artemis clucked her tongue. "A fat load of nothing. The police, the FBI, and the League have been searching and found zilch. Batman's not happy."

"Which is why Robin wanted to interrogate the prisoner," Kaldur explained. "He said he might be able to persuade him to talk."

"Prisoner?"

"Yeah," Artemis said. "We caught two perps, a Blob and a discount Kid Flash."

"The other two and Magneto got away with Ivanoff," Kaldur said.

"Yeah. All we've learned is that the speedster's got a sister on the team."

"Oh. Hello, Megan! That must be who she was looking for!" M'gann said. Artemis and Kaldur looked at each other.

"You read her mind?"

"Her thoughts were loud. I couldn't tell everything she was saying, some of it wasn't English, but it seemed like she was looking for someone. It must have been her brother."

"Do you remember anything else she might have thought about?" Kaldur asked.

M'gann frowned. "Let me think. I have to remember."

* * *

Black Canary exited the interrogation room, holding the now-empty food tray. "Any updates?" She asked the guard, who shook his head.

"How about on your end?" A voice said from the shadows. The guard started, his gun pointing, but she held up a hand. She knew who it was. She turned to see Robin, dressed down in his civvies, emerge from the shadows.

"Unfortunately, no. He's only opened his mouth to eat." Black Canary tossed the food tray unceremoniously into a nearby wastebin. "What are you doing here? I figured Batman'd have you out and about with him."

"I've been watching you talk to him. I think I have an angle that will get him cooperating."

Black Canary put her hands on her hips. "I'm listening."

"He called you a gagică."

"Which means what?"

Robin gave a slight cringe. "It means a non-Gypsy woman, not in a super nice way, but that's not really the point. I think he's Romani. It's been years, but I still speak some."

"Okay…"

"Let me talk to him in his language. It'll put me on his level. Maybe it'll convince him to trust me, at least enough to start talking."

Black Canary considered it. "Try whatever. At this point, it doesn't seem like anybody's getting anywhere, so we might as well try everything, right?"

"Right."

"You've read up on his files?"

Robin scoffed. "Remember who you're talking to."

Black Canary smiled. "Of course. Make sure he knows what's at stake, though," she said. "If he doesn't give us a reason to keep him, the US is going to have to hand him over to the Transian authorities."

"Understood." Robin gave a small salute. The guard moved aside to let him through.

Pietro was busy sulking when he walked in. He looked confused, not recognizing Dick without his costume. But that was the point, in a way. To take out the costumes and gadgets and just be another person. Trustworthy, helpful, willing to listen.

"Hello," Dick said, in Romani.

Pietro's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. "Hello," he replied slowly, also in Romani. There was a pause as he eyed him suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"I'm the guy who's gonna be asking you questions," Dick said cheerfully, sitting down across the table.

Another pause. "Romani?" Pietro asked.

"On my mom's side."

Pietro frowned. "Your accent is weird."

"I uh, traveled a lot as a kid."

"You sound American."

"I've been here a while. But you're from my uncle's neck of the woods. East Transia, right?"

Pietro shook his head. "Grisnai, mostly. But I've been everywhere."

"Like where?"

Pietro said something Dick didn't understand. "Sorry?" Pietro repeated himself, but Dick still didn't catch it. He didn't know if it was a dialect thing or if he really was that rusty.

"I didn't understand that. Sorry," Dick smiled apologetically, "it's been a while."

"I said, I lost track after a while," Pietro said, switching to English.

"Ah. Well, I gotta say, your English is pretty good. Where'd you learn?"

Pietro gave him a flat look. "School."

"Yeah. I was checking out your records, seemed like you were doing pretty well. Up until year eight."

Pietro shrugged. "That stuff always came quickly to me," he said arrogantly. "But I dropped out to help Papa with the bills. Do you want to write that one down in your notes too?"

"I'm not taking notes."

"Come on. You're logging everything away in the hopes that I give away something. But it's not going to work," Pietro said. "You really thought I would talk to you just because you speak my language? Think again."

"Look. I know you're not stupid." Dick's voice was direct now. Firm. "We're on opposite sides here."

"You think?" Pietro said, gesturing to his handcuffs.

"I'm here to level with you. You're in a tough spot right now. The only reason you're here is because they think you've got information that will lead us to Ivanoff. If you don't cooperate, you're gonna get deported to Transia. And we both know how Romani people are treated there. Especially mutant Romani people."

Pietro looked away.

"The best thing to do for yourself right now is to tell us anything you've got."

"What do you want me to say?" Pietro snapped. "I don't know where she is."

"Is that the truth?"

"He's always changing the hideout. Never wants to stay in one place for too long."

"Who? Magneto?"

"Yeah. He's totally paranoid."

"Why?"

"How should I know? He's crazy."

"Then why are you helping him?"

Pietro gave him a long look. Dick returned the gaze coolly through his sunglasses. Finally, Pietro sighed. "We owe him."

"We?"

"My sister and I. When he found us, we were fugitives, starving, with no place to go. Wa-my sister was sick. He saved us."

"So you work for him to repay him," Dick finished, getting it.

Pietro nodded.

"So tell me this-what is his end goal?"

"In short? Take over the world. He's been going around recruiting people to help him. Young, angry mutants who have been turned on by the world. He wants to overthrow the corrupt systems. And rub it in everyone's face."

"And Ivanoff?"

"The attack on the UN summit was Plan A."

"And what does Plan B entail?"

Pietro shrugged.

"Just a reminder, we don't have much-"

"I mean, I don't know. He doesn't tell us anything. Just gives us orders and expects us to follow them."

Suddenly, the door opened. It was Black Canary. "You need to see this."

Once he was outside, she showed him to a computer monitor. "This was posted five minutes ago," she said. One of the guards pressed play.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the world," came an all-too-familiar voice. "I came to you before with a warning. Now I come with a demand."

Magneto seemed to be in a basement, or cellar of some kind. He held the camera at face level, speaking directly to it. "Let it not be said that we are unreasonable. We do not want money. We do not want gifts. We simply want our friends back. You see this man?" The camera turned towards Victor Ivanoff, gagged and bound and sweating. He had been roughed up a bit, the edges of his clothing singed. "This man represents what happens to those who oppress us, who squander us. He suffers. And he will continue to suffer until our requests are met. If the police turn over our people to us, we will let him go. If they do not, the world can watch Victor Ivanoff die. Slowly."

Ivanoff paled and frantically shook his head.

"You have two hours. Do not keep me waiting."

The screen went dark. The replay button appeared in the middle of the screen.

Robin got straight to work. He immediately began typing on the keyboard, fingers flying. "I'm gonna try to track where the video was uploaded from," he said. "There's a possibility it was prerecorded, but it might lead us to where they were hiding out." His eyes flicked over the screen, tapping the mouse every once and a while. "Hang on. I think I got it."

The doors to the tiny farmhouse burst open. The SWAT team swarmed in, weapons drawn, scattering through the house.

"Clear!" Came a voice from upstairs.

"Clear!" Came another from the kitchen.

"Down here!" Came a voice from the basement.

There was no-one in the basement. Just an empty chair and a small handwritten note that said,

_Did you think it was going to be that easy?_


	6. Chapter 5

Thank you to all who have left reviews so far! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Also, since there has been some confusion in my DMs, I'll clarify that I am female :)

* * *

"So, question." A newly-returned-from-school Wally said, popping another pretzel in his mouth. "Now that they're tracking down Magneto and his, uh, guys, what happens after that?"

"I mean, he's a Transian citizen," Artemis said, leaning against the counter and swiping a few pretzels from his bowl. "So once he's caught he and whoever else is with him will get extradited to their home countries and charged with whatever. That's what usually happens, but I've seen exceptions. Plenty of exceptions," she muttered darkly.

"Well, sure, but-" Wally stopped short, looking surprised. Artemis looked at him, confusion turning to slight panic.

"What?" She asked nervously, worrying she'd given something away.

Wally shook his head. "Nothing, I'm just kinda surprised you know that. Didn't think you knew such big words," he joked, grinning.

Relief swept over her. She threw a pretzel at him.

"Anyway," he said, picking up the pretzel from the counter and popping it in his mouth, "that wasn't really my question. I guess I was wondering what this does for all the mutant rights movements. I mean, Mr. Ambassador's garbage, but doesn't this kind of set mutants back?"

Artemis pursed her lips. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the whole reason there are people who don't like metahumans is because they're afraid of them. I feel like what Magneto's doing kind of exacerbates the problem."

"I kind of get why he's doing it, though," Artemis said. "He has a right to be angry."

"No, I know, it's just…I was just thinking about it, and it's kinda worrying because I feel like it gives anti-metahuman activists more ammunition, you know?"

Artemis hummed thoughtfully, chewing slowly.

Wally sighed. "I dunno. Hey, Kaldur," he called, changing the subject. Kaldur, who was sitting on the sofa in the common room, looked up. "Whatcha reading?"

Kaldur looked down at his book. "The Art of War," he said, "by Sun Tzu. King Orin greatly admires it."

Wally hummed. "Huh. Sounds…interesting, I guess. But also kind of like a book I'd have to read for school."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "You poor thing, they make you_ read_?"

Wally scoffed. "Hey, I actually don't mind reading. As long as I get to pick what it is."

"What kind of book do you choose to read, Wally?" Kaldur asked, genuinely curious. Wally shrugged.

"I like comics. Or thrillers. I'm a fan of Morris Larsson."

Artemis looked over at him in surprise. "Larsson? Like, _Jackson Towers_ Morris Larsson?"

Wally also seemed taken aback. "And _The Light in the Cavern_," he continued, "and,"

"_Vanity's Folly_," they finished together.

Artemis was shocked. Artemis wasn't a big reader; she simply didn't have the time. Larsson wasn't a well-known author, but he was one of the few she liked when she did read. She hadn't met anyone else who had even heard of him, and certainly wouldn't have expected that person to be Kid Mouth himself. Wally, in his own surprise, miscalculated and choked on his pretzel. He doubled over, coughing harshly. Artemis watched him for a moment, conflicted, before awkwardly reaching out and thumping his back. He let out a few more sharp coughs before going back to normal. He looked over at her, and she removed her hand as if she'd been burned.

"Thanks," he mumbled awkwardly. Artemis didn't say anything, just made a kind of vague gesture.

Suddenly, Robin's head poked in the door. "Batman wants to see us. Urgent."

When they entered the cave, Batman was facing away from them, somehow just as intimidating from the back as from the front. He was typing something into the computer. M'gann and Conner entered shortly after the rest of them did.

"I'm fine. I can walk by myself, Conner," M'gann said, shrugging him off.

"Has Magneto been apprehended?" Kaldur asked.

"No." Batman turned around to face them. "Magneto has escaped."

The team, sans Robin, balked. "What?" Wally yelped.

"Robin tracked their location through the video. By the time authorities reached them, the Brotherhood was already gone. They're combing the area for clues as to where they may have gone; however, so far we've only found this in the basement." Batman pressed a button, and a scan of a handwritten note appeared on the holographic screen. Artemis read the note with raised eyebrows. It was pretty cocky and annoying, but at the same time she had to respect it. Magneto must have balls of steel. Maybe even literally.

"Do we have any idea where they may be headed next?" Kaldur asked.

Batman looked over at Robin and gave a small nod. Robin spoke. "I've been talking with Pietro, uh, the speedster. Seems like Magneto runs a pretty tight ship. He said that the other members of the Brotherhood aren't told where the next hideout is, or even every plan. He says he has no idea where they are."

"He could be lying," Artemis pointed out.

"True. But I dunno, I'm inclined to believe him." Robin glanced over at Batman.

Kaldur spoke up. "Could it be possible that they will come back for the other Brotherhood members?" He asked.

Batman nodded. "That's a distinct possibility. The Director for the Office of National Emergency has ordered that the prisoners be transferred to a secure government base in the Nevada desert. Your mission will be to transport them there." He turned his gaze on M'gann. "The Bio-Ship will be our best option. It is the only secure way to transport them that isn't susceptible to metal-bending powers."

M'gann swallowed and nodded.

* * *

The team waited by the Bio-Ship entrance. The prisoners emerged, marched out of the custody building flanked by guards with guns. At the sudden influx of daylight, Blob blinked and squinted in confusion. "Where are we going, Pietro?" He asked his fellow prisoner.

"That's a good question," Pietro said pointedly. He smiled big and fake as the guards marched them forward, glaring at each member of the team. "Good morning," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm

"Sar tukay jal," Robin muttered, returning the greeting. Immediately he wondered why, what had compelled him to say it. Pietro caught it and recoiled in confusion, looking Robin over carefully. Recognition flickered in his eyes.

"We can take it from here," Kaldur said, dismissing the guards. They left. The team began to lead the prisoners onto the ship. M'gann winced slightly as the Bio-Ship protested under Blob's immense weight.

The prisoners were loaded into a back holding cell behind where the team usually sat. Well, one of them was, anyway. Conner, it had been decided, would keep an eye on the Blob as he was the only one who could take a hit from him and potentially live. The Blob, or Fred, took up most of the space in the holding cell by himself.

"I don't think this is going to work, ropak," Pietro said Robin as they observed Conner attempt to squish himself into the cell, fighting past Fred's massive rolls of fat. Grudgingly, Robin had to agree. So, not having any choice, Pietro had to sit in the front, by the rest of the team. As fate would have it, Artemis got stuck sitting next to him. Lucky her. It was almost like she had traded one annoying speedster for another.

"What is this," Pietro said, "some kind of airplane?" He watched in almost disgusted fascination as the Bio-Ship strapped him in. Tightly. Nobody answered him, leaving him to speculate in silence.

The ship took off, blending in with the sky so that it was practically invisible.

Artemis stared ahead as the ship whistled through the clouds. She felt his eyes on her. She ignored it at first, but eventually the irritation bubbled over and she turned her head to face him.

"What?" She snapped.

His eyes were narrowed. "You headbutted me in the face," he said accusingly.

"Wha-you cut me with a knife!" Artemis spluttered, incredulous.

"Curva."

"Nguy tao."

"Enough," Aqualad's voice was sharp. Apparently their voices had grown a bit too loud. Aqualad spun in his seat to face them. "You," he said, pointing to Pietro, "will be quiet."

Pietro lifted his chin defiantly but didn't say anything else. He turned his gaze again out the window.

Artemis turned away from him again, thinking that would be the end of it. It was, until he started twitching, bouncing his knee up and down. Annoyed, she turned to glare at him. He was staring at the clouds wisping past them, biting his lip. He didn't even seem to be aware that he was moving; it was a nervous thing, a manifestation of the energy held back by the collar on his neck.

"Would you mind?" Artemis hissed at him, taking care to keep her voice down.

The knee stopped. There was a pause. "Magneto escaped, didn't he." When Artemis didn't answer, he took a deep breath, lowering his voice. "I thought so. So where are you taking us?"

"That's classified information," Artemis hissed back.

Pietro bristled. Artemis turned her gaze ahead, barely managing to keep a smug smile from breaking her over face. Her victory didn't last for long. About ten seconds passed, and the bouncing began again. She rolled her eyes and turned to glare at him again. "Nervous much?" She taunted.

His gaze slid to her. "Wouldn't you be?"

"Seems like you've got plenty of experience in prison," Artemis said, "not sure why you're nervous now."

He stared at her for a moment. Then he rolled his eyes and looked back out the window. Artemis narrowed her eyes, feeling like she'd missed something. Her grin faded as she realized it wasn't prison he was worried about. His sister was still with Magneto, on the run God knows where.

_Wouldn't you be?_

She would. She had been, plenty of times. Maybe not as much anymore, or at least that's what she told herself. But the months after Jade had run away all those years ago were some of the hardest she'd ever experienced. She felt a strange twinge of empathy for the kid. She looked back at the floor, chewing the inside of her lip.

It wasn't a very long flight. About a half hour or so later the Bio-Ship began its descent.

"Is this it?" Artemis asked, looking out the window. The desert beneath them looked empty and uninhabited.

"These are the right coordinates," M'gann assured.

"Wouldn't be much of a secret base if we could see it," Robin pointed out, grinning. Artemis rolled her eyes.

The ship landed, sand swirling around it like a storm. They sat there, looking around. There was no sign of anyone, of any building, in sight. They waited, not really sure what to do.

"So…" Wally said finally, breaking the silence, "is there gonna be a secret entrance or like…"

As if on cue, the ground in front of the ship began to rumble. A large metal trap-door lifted, sand and random tree roots running off the metal like water to reveal a tunnel underground. It almost looked like the earth was opening its mouth, and from its metal-paneled throat walked three people.

"Welp," Wally said. "There it is."

They collected the prisoners and made their way to the back entrance, where the people were waiting. Two were guards, dressed in military fatigues, armed with large guns. The other one was a woman dressed in civilian clothes with a lanyard around her neck. Robin's junior-detective instincts noted that it was a laminate badge, probably doubled as a keycard. It read, VALERIE COOPER. STATUS: ALL-ACCESS.

The woman watched the team approach, prisoners in tow. She raised an eyebrow at them. "I thought the Justice League was handling transport," she said, "who are you?"

"We are the ones who came," Aqualad said, politely if not a bit coldly. "We were authorized by the League to handle it."

The woman, Valerie Cooper, hummed dismissively and turned her eyes on the prisoners. She looked them up and down disapprovingly. "Never mind." She took the walkie-talkie from her belt and spoke into it. "Yeah, they're here. Whenever you're ready." She snapped it back. "Alright. Let's get these kids to their cells." When the team stepped forward to help escort the prisoners inside, Valerie stopped them. "We can take it from here," she told Aqualad, who she seemed to have identified as the leader.

Aqualad shook his head. "We have orders. We are to stay with them until we see that they are completely secure."

Valerie clucked her tongue, seemingly annoyed. "Fine. Come on, then."

And so they went, all of them, into the gaping maw in the ground.

They came across a set of metal sliding doors, with a complicated-looking lock. Valerie pressed her laminate up to the center of it. The lock beeped before turning and spinning, opening varying interlocking parts before finally sliding open to let them through. Robin watched it in fascination.

"Sweet tech," he said, impressed.

Valerie nodded. "This is the most secure base we have on the continental U.S. The only way to break in would be to know someone from the inside."

"Well…how do you know nobody on the inside's gonna let Magneto in?" Robin asked needlingly.

Valerie smirked. "Trust me. I'd know."

Kid Flash shot Robin a sideways glance, mouthing, _well aren't we confident_. A small smirk ghosted over Robin's lips.

"Here we are," Valerie said as they turned a corner. She punched in another keycode and opened two sliding doors, which opened up to two cells. One of the guards used the butt of his gun to nudge the Blob into his cell. The other followed suit with Pietro, who gave an indignant growl when he felt it touch his back. Valerie hit a red button on the keypad and the doors slid shut. "Perfect. I think we're covered, here. The guards will show you out," she said dismissively. Discreetly, she reached into her pocket, finding the red button on her walkie-talkie with her thumb. She pressed it down. "Take them back through the east entrance," she ordered the guards, who gave a curt nod. Her eyes shifted to the cell doors, watching the prisoners through the glass window. Blob had taken it upon himself to explore his cell; Pietro was sitting on the cot, scratching impatiently at his collar. She grinned. "I'll take care of these two."

For some reason, those words seemed to get a reaction from the prisoners. The Blob stiffened. Pietro froze, staring at Valerie. It was subtle and quick, but Robin's sharp eye caught the movement. He glanced over at Kid Flash, who also seemed to have noticed. Wally's eyebrows were raised, a clear message of did you see that.

Yes. And he had a bad feeling about it.

_What's wrong_, M'gann asked telepathically, apparently having sensed Robin's sudden change in demeanor.

_M'gann_, Robin thought, _can you read the prisoner's mind real quick? What are they thinking?_

_Okay_, M'gann replied, slightly confused but willing.

Pietro was thinking very fast and very loud, but not much that she could understand. Some parts were in English, but the rest was a lot of Earth language that she wasn't familiar with. So she switched to the Blob's mind.

Like Pietro, Fred had known in an instant who Valerie really was. It wasn't anything she had actually said, but the _way_ that she had said it that was all too familiar to him. And with the disapproving look she had given them when they had come out of the ship, it all clicked into place. On one hand, this was really good, because it meant that she would break them out soon. Probably. On the other hand, he wasn't looking forward to the discipline that awaited him for getting caught and slowing the whole plan down. That made Fred very, very nervous.

M'gann gasped. Aqualad glanced at her.

_What is it?_

_It's her_, she said. _She's working with Magneto. She's helping him break them out of prison._

_ Should we confront her? _Kid Flash asked.

_No. _Aqualad replied. _We don't act yet. We will stay in the area until we know what is going on. If it is true, perhaps we can trap Magneto as well. _

"Will that be all?" Valerie asked, unaware of their conversation. "Or are you set to leave? I hate to be rude, but this is top security, after all."

"Actually, would you happen to have a restroom around here?" Kid Flash asked, thinking quickly.

Valerie gave him a blank look. "Are you kidding?" She asked. Kid Flash only smiled sheepishly. She stifled a groan. "Fine. We have a men's room downstairs." She glanced over at one of the guards. "Show him."

"Thanks," Kid Flash sighed, feigning relief. He grinned widely. "Don't worry, I'll make it quick." The guard didn't laugh as he began to escort him away, but Kid Flash didn't mind. He sent a quick wink over his shoulder.

The guard who stayed behind used the end of his gun to nudge the Blob into his cell. He followed suit with Pietro, who growled indignantly when he felt it poke into his back. The guard punched in a code to the door's keypads, and they slid shut, locking tight.

"Excuse me," Miss Martian said to Valerie, who turned to look at her. "Would you happen to have a ladies' room around here?"

Valerie gave her a long, flat look, but Miss Martian resisted the urge to wither. She was a bad guy, after all. Valerie groaned and gestured to the guard. "Lead the rest of them out, I'll show her." She growled. "Come on, then."

They were led in different directions. Superboy gave a small glance over his shoulder. She noticed it and gave him a small, reassuring smile.

Each member of the team was being very careful. Wally, in between his bad jokes to the guard, was eyeing any possible escape route. Air ducts were plentiful, as it was an underground fortress. He mapped them out in his head, trying to imagine any possible routes in or out of the bunker. Meanwhile, Aqualad, Artemis, and Superboy were doing similar things as their guard showed them to the door. Robin kept a careful eye out, taking in all the details he could. Unfortunately, it seemed that any system weaknesses were hidden from the naked eye; he'd have to wait until they were out of the guard's line of vision before he attempted a system hack.

Miss Martian followed Valerie down a flight of stairs, walking behind her as meekly as she could. On the inside, though, her mind was steely and analytical, working a mile a minute.

"So. You're…what's her face. Yeah, I don't know you. Who are you?" Valerie asked after a while. Underneath the spoken words, her thoughts flowed like an undercurrent. _Who are you anyway?_

"I am Miss Martian," Miss Martian answered, careful to speak out loud.

"I see," came Valerie's reply. _Martian. Telekinesis. Invisibility. Interesting. Does she use the bathroom like humans do?_

Miss Martian felt a flicker of amusement and indignation at that last thought. "And you're the Director of the Office…"

"Of National Emergency, yeah. I've been doing it for a while." _The real Valerie did, anyway._

Miss Martian swallowed her alarm. What had happened to the real Valerie? She couldn't tell, whoever this person was wasn't giving anything away just yet. "Must be difficult," she said, keeping her voice steady.

"Can be. But we're used to keeping ourselves under control, aren't we?" Valerie gave a sharp laugh. Miss Martian giggled half-heartedly, feeling that she missed the joke. They turned a corner and down another hallway. Miss Martian noticed they had been walking for a long while. She listened closely to Valerie's thoughts, but Valerie's mind seemed to have wandered elsewhere, reciting what seemed to be song lyrics in her head. It reminded her of something, football scores en Espanol…

She stopped suddenly. "Where are you taking me?" Miss Martian said sharply, suddenly on the defensive. Valerie continued a leisurely few steps before turning to look at her. M'gann did not like her smile.

_I know you can hear me,_ "Valerie" thought.

Miss Martian knew immediately what was coming and lifted her hand quickly, her powers flaring out. The hidden pistol that "Valerie" had reached for flew out of her grip and across the room. The imposter launched herself forward, aiming a sharp kick at Miss Martian's chest. Miss Martian caught her foot mid-air using her powers, flinging her back. The woman flipped out of her free fall and landed on her feet in a crouch. The woman skittered toward her again, moving very fast, and Miss Martian barely had time to lift up out of the way as the woman dove at her again. The woman caught her foot and yanked her down to the ground, where Miss Martian fell with a thud. She used her powers again to shove the woman away from her, this time pinning her to the wall by her wrists. The woman groaned as Miss Martian used her powers to twist her arm at a painful angle.

"Who are you?" Miss Martian said forcefully.

The woman laughed. "Depends on the day," she said, her voice an octave lower and slightly accented. Miss Martian twisted the arm slightly harder, and the woman's grin turned to a grimace.

"Don't make me hurt you," Miss Martian said.

The woman opened her eyes, looking into Miss Martian's. Miss Martian took a deep breath, but any thought to what she was about to do dissolved in her surprise as the woman's face began to morph. The face belonging to "Valerie" started to morph in a strange way, unlike when M'gann herself morphed. The skin seemed to melt away, replaced by strange blue skin and bright orange hair, a different facial structure, and bright yellow eyes. The woman smirked at Miss Martian's surprise and took advantage of the pause by bringing up her legs and kicking Miss Martian directly in the chest. Miss Martian recoiled and the woman dropped to the ground.

"How's that?" The woman taunted, preparing for another strike. This time Miss Martian was ready. She used her powers to slam the woman back into the wall, hard. The breath whooshed out of the woman's lungs and she collapsed onto the ground, groaning. Miss Martian prepared to send a quick message to the team. _Too late,_ thought the woman, lifting herself up to all fours. She looked up at Miss Martian with a smirk.

_What do you mean,_ Miss Martian replied. _They're on their way?_

_No, darling_, the imposter thought with a smile. _They're already here_.

The guard stood awkwardly outside the bathroom, a small one-person room with a sliding door. Wally stood awkwardly inside the bathroom, unsure of what to do. I didn't see anything unusual on the way, he thought over the telepathic link. _Not that I could see much. It's high security after all,_ he thought, mimicking Valerie.

_You're a comic genius,_ Artemis quipped.

Suddenly, M'gann's voice cut over the telepathic link. _I've got her now! Magneto's here!_

Wally sprang into action. _On it, babe_, he thought loudly, before opening the door and sprinting out. The guard felt only a whoosh of air as Wally flew past him, barely aware of what happened until the alarms began.

The rest of the team were on their way out when the sirens began shrieking. Red flashing lights illuminated the hallway. The guard in charge of escorting them froze, pressing a finger to his earpiece. He paused, listening, then yelled at the rest of the team, "go!" and took off down the hallway. The team didn't waste a minute before running after him.

The open doors in each corridor were closing in an evident lockdown. Wally increased his speed and slid beneath each one, hearing them slam behind him. The world blurred past him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted M'gann in a side hallway. He skidded to a stop, doing a one-eighty turn and coming back. M'gann was holding somebody up in the air with her powers.

"Whoa," he said. "What's with the blue lady?"

"She's working with Magneto," M'gann explained, keeping her eyes and focus concentrated on the struggling woman.

The echoes of voices and footsteps rang through the halls, growing closer. The blue lady's face shifted, taking on the likeness of who Wally had come to know as Valerie Cooper. She completed the transformation just as some military guards rounded the corner. "Help, help me!" the woman shrieked in Valerie's voice. "They're attacking me!"

Wally knew what was going to happen seconds before it did. "Get down!" He yelled, charging at M'gann and tackling her to the ground, out of the line of fire. The sudden blow made M'gann drop the woman, who fell to the ground.

"Cease fire! Don't hit her!" Yelled one of them as soon as he saw the Director collapse. The gunshots stopped immediately. "Valerie" lifted her head, a dangerous smirk growing across her face.

"Your mistake," she growled before charging with inhuman speed at one of the guards and knocking him out cold with a well-aimed fist. One of the guards, in his shock, fumbled for his gun, but she knocked it out of his hands and swept his legs out from under him, knocking him to the ground. She leapt at another, hands aimed for his throat, but a yellow and red blur caught her mid-air, grabbing her roughly and sprinting her along before whipping her away, sending her tumbling down the hallway. She managed to land in a crouch, only slightly winded. She caught a glimpse of the blur winking past her and attempted to make a dive for him when an invisible force suddenly grabbed her and slammed her into the wall with enough force to leave a dent. She got up, a bit shakily, but the invisible force did it again. And again, until the woman dropped to the floor and made no attempt to move.

Kid Flash blurred to a stop next to M'gann. "Ouch," he said, observing M'gann's handiwork. "That's gonna hurt in the morning."

M'gann gasped, remembering. "The others!" She cried. "Magneto's already here!"

Wally's expression turned serious. "Let's go."

* * *

Notes:

"Sar tukay jal"= Hello/how are you in Romani.

"Curva"= "whore" in Romanian, Rupak="cousin" in Serbian. Since Transian is not a real language, I'm borrowing words from Romanian, Serbian, and German and blending them into what I think Transian would sound like, based on its fictional geography and history. Artemis calls Pietro "nguy tao" which according the the internet means "bastard" in Vietnamese, but this I'm not 100% sure so if it's incorrect please say so! I strive for accuracy when I can!

As always, drop a review if you're so inclined. I'd love to hear what y'all think!


	7. Chapter 6

"Mr. President, we are running out of time," The Secretary of State said. "We have to figure out what we are going to do."

An hour and three minutes of Magneto's two-hour window had passed, and neither the terrorist nor his associates were anywhere to be found. The tension was thick enough to slash with a knife. As the attacks had occurred on U.S. soil, the President could feel the eyes of the rest of the world on him, waiting for him to make his move. Did he defy the terrorist's demands? Perhaps that would make the activists happy, but public relations with Transia were sure to suffer. On the other hand, if he gave in and exchanged the prisoners for Ivanoff, he was letting a terrorist get what he wanted. The press would eat him alive.

"Mr. President, we need a response."

The President furrowed his brow, thinking. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak.

"Mr. President!" A security agent burst into the office, hand to earpiece. "We've got a situation!"

The President froze. "What's going on?"

* * *

Sirens blared. Flashes of red light streaked the walls. An automatic voice coming from some unseen speaker echoed, over and over: _Security breach! Security breach!_ Artemis marveled at how the hallways just kept on going and going, and though their escort knew his way around she had no idea where the hell they were headed. All she knew at this point was that she really wished she knew where the speaker was because if she did she would shoot it immediately.

Their guard escort received a message on his earpiece. He pressed a finger to it as he ran, listening. "Third floor hangar! Follow me!" He shouted. The team did as ordered.

They turned a hall at some point and went down a flight of stairs and were halfway down the other set of stairs when the sound of gunfire cracked through the air. Artemis immediately drew an arrow, Aqualad readied his whips, Robin grabbed a few smoke bombs from his belt. If Superboy had anything to grab, he would have as well. They steeled themselves, preparing for battle.

They came to a sealed door. The guard frantically fumbled for his ID card and swiped it in the console. The door slid open and they all rushed in.

And there was nothing.

There were other soldiers, sure, but none were firing. In fact, they also seemed completely confused. They looked around the hangar, which housed the usual aircraft and assorted large machinery, but nothing seemed to be amiss. No blue ladies or frog-like men or radical metal-wielding maniacs from Europe.

Another door to the hangar slid open, and Miss Martian and Kid Flash rushed in, accompanied by a few other soldiers. The door slid shut behind them. Kid Flash looked around. "Wait. What?"

"Kid Flash. Miss Martian." Aqualad greeted them. "What's going on?"

"You tell us. These guys told us that everything was happening on the third hangar," Kid Flash said, nodding at the two soldiers accompanying them. The soldiers pointed at their earpieces.

"That's what I heard," one of them said.

The team's escort nodded his head. "Me too."

There was some confused shouting on the other side of the hangar. A few of the soldiers were apparently trying to exit the hangar, but their ID cards weren't working. They gestured to the others, and the team's escort went over to investigate. The team followed.

"It's not letting us out," the soldier said. The team's escort tried his. A small green light blinked, but the door stayed shut.

Robin narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

* * *

From his cell, Pietro could see little else but a bit of hallway and flashing red lights. He banged his fists on the door and swore loudly about the things he would do if somebody didn't let them out. Even so, he knew it was hopeless. Fred had been doing the same for the past five minutes and if Fred couldn't even dent the door, Pietro didn't stand a chance. He smacked his forehead on the glass and groaned.

A flicker of what could have been a shadow caught his attention. Pietro frowned and shifted his weight to see if he could get a better look. And then the thick glass-like material seemed to warp, moving in at him like molten metal, a bubble on the verge of breaking. Pietro realized what was going to happen just seconds before it did, enough time for him to throw himself down and as far from the door as he could manage, covering his head. The door shattered, snowing down on him in tiny pieces. From his vantage point on the floor, all he could see were two clunky soldier's boots standing in front of him. He cautiously lifted his head, gaze traveling up two fatigue-clad legs, then a torso, and then the face of his sister.

He slowly lifted himself to a kneel. "Hi Wa-"

She seized him in a tight hug, cutting him off. He made a strangled noise of surprise. If she noticed, she did not care.

"Hi, Petya," she whispered.

He smiled even though she was crushing the life out of him. "Hi Wanda." She squeezed tighter, accidentally putting pressure on the mostly-healed wound in his stomach. He let out a small squeak in pain.

She pulled away, concerned. "I'm sorry! Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

He shook his head. His advanced healing had left him in fairly good shape since he had been arrested, though the collar around his neck had slowed the process somewhat. In all honesty, none of that mattered to him now—he was just really glad to see her again. She nodded.

"Good. Let's get those damned things off." She swiped her hand, and the cuffs and collar crumbled into nothing. His hands shot to his neck, marveling at the feel of his own skin. She got up, helping him to his feet. "I'm going to let Fred out, then we have to go meet Magneto on the third floor."

Pietro's mood immediately soured. "Do we have to?" He asked.

Wanda swatted at his arm. "Stop it. Come on, we need to go."

Soldiers were crowding around each hangar door, but nothing seemed to be working. Robin crouched down next to the wall, taking a small tool from his belt.

"Hey, what are you doing?" One of the soldiers barked as Robin began to remove one of the panels in the wall.

"The doors are probably controlled by electromagnetic currents," Robin said. "If I can clip the wires, the current will be cut off and it will open."

The soldier looked to the team's escort. "Sergeant, is he allowed to do that?"

The sergeant shrugged. Robin took that as permission and continued. After opening the panel, he looked through the wires, using a small clip from his belt to cut the wire. The soldiers and team looked expectantly at the door. The door didn't open.

Kid Flash frowned. "That should have worked," he said. "No magnet, nothing to keep the door closed." He knelt beside Robin. "You're sure you clipped the right one?"

"I thought so."

Superboy's super hearing picked up on a strange noise. It sounded like creaking, growing louder. His gaze snapped to the side and suddenly, letting out a fierce yell, pounced and tackled M'gann out of the way. The others barely had time to scatter as one of the airplanes suddenly flew, pushed by some invisible force, right at them. It crashed into the wall with a deafening crash.

The hangar erupted into chaos. Soldiers were scattering, some trying desperately to figure out what was going on, some suddenly doing battle with their own weapons, which had gone inexplicably limp and snake-like in their hands. Aqualad was yelling something but Artemis couldn't hear. She was too busy looking at the two figures on the observation deck. One of them, a small short man, was filming everything on what looked to be a camera or a camera phone. She focused on the tallest one, a man in fatigues, his hands raised up in the air. From this distance, she couldn't see his face, but she didn't need to: she knew who he was. She notched an arrow, visualizing a target painted over his tiny head. And she let it fly.

Magneto saw the arrow coming directly at his head, but made no move to avoid it. He knew what would happen before it did, and sure enough, Toad leaped into harm's way to save him. Toad plucked the arrow from the air with his free hand and rolled with it, landing on his feet. He held it up triumphantly. "I got it, boss!" He yelled.

The detonator went off, and Toad was promptly blasted off the observation deck to the ground below. Magneto rolled his eyes and brushed a few stray embers off his shoulder. He pointed a hand in the direction where the arrow had come from. He flexed his wrist, and suddenly Artemis felt herself forced to the ground, her quiver pinning itself to the floor. She groaned mentally. _Again? Are you kidding me? _She struggled but couldn't wriggle out of it so easily this time. It was at an awkward angle.

She felt two foreign hands on her shoulders. She flinched reflexively, but it was only Kid Flash. "Here," he said, pulling her up by the shoulders. The added leverage allowed her to squirm out of the quiver's grip easier.

"Thanks," Artemis said begrudgingly.

A quick glance around the hangar confirmed that the other members of the team were busy. Aqualad was doing battle with a singed-looking Toad. Miss Martian was positioned between a group of soldiers and an airplane, using her telekinetic powers to prevent them from being squished. Robin was God knows where. And above the crowd, Superboy had apparently noticed Magneto and was barreling his way towards him, letting out a fierce battle cry.

Magneto flicked his hand and the railing of the observation deck jutted out at Superboy, knocking him out of his flying leap. Superboy recovered quickly, rolling to his feet, preparing to try again when a mass of acidic bile whistled past his shoulder. He whirled on Toad, who seemed to immediately realize his mistake. Superboy slugged him and he went flying, rolling at Aqualad's feet. Aqualad tased him for good measure, though there probably wasn't need. Getting hit by Superboy was like getting hit by a tractor. Or a small steam engine.

Kid Flash blurred away to help Superboy and Aqualad. Miss Martian managed to push back on the airplane, sending it away from her and the group of soldiers. She and Artemis began to advance on Magneto as well. The gunfire rang in Artemis's ears from every angle, but she didn't care because at that moment she was too focused on Magneto. From his position he was like a glowing beacon, a perfect target in the utter chaos around him.

The bullets did not worry Magneto. He stopped them easily. He stubbornly ignored the sweat forming on his brow and the ache in his muscles. But in the back of his mind, behind the fierce determination, he was beginning to grow worried. His secret weapon had not arrived yet, and extending his powers in this way was beginning to tire him.

Superboy flew out of nowhere, aiming a fist at him. Magneto dodged, but barely. Superboy swiped at him, nearly grabbing Magneto's arm. Magneto dodged it and willed the ceiling to cave in. The ceiling obeyed. With a crunch not unlike the crushing of a soda can, a part of the metal ceiling gave way and plummeted down, right on top of Superboy. Superboy gave an enraged yell as he was pinned by the ceiling, struggling and then freezing in pain as his shoulder twisted awkwardly. There was a pop and a noise that sounded suspiciously like a cackle, and suddenly the air around Magneto grew smoggy. From a Robin-planted smoke bomb, no doubt. Magneto squinted, trying to keep the enemy in his line of vision. He didn't start to panic until he felt himself slowly lift up in the air by some force. He fought but his arms had been pinned to his sides. As he rose from the smoke cloud he saw the top of a red head of hair. The martian floated above the chaos, a determined glare on her face.

Then something very strange happened. The martian got a funny look on her face, and then she suddenly and inexplicably dropped out of the air. Magneto crashed immediately and painfully to the deck floor, his bad knee screaming in protest. Superboy yelled and the one they called Aqualad ran to check on her, but suddenly something went wrong and he slipped, and soon he too was preoccupied. Miss Martian yelped when she was suddenly phased partway through the floor, stuck. Wanda, as if sensing the martian's anger, promptly used her powers to smack M'gann's head against the floor, knocking her out. Magneto's smile vanished when he felt two arms wrap around his neck from behind. An orange and white blur later, and Magneto was free, while Pietro held Robin in a headlock.

"Sorry, rupak," Pietro muttered.

Robin disentangled himself, flipping them so Pietro was pinned. "No, I'm sorry," he said.

Blob appeared out of nowhere and smacked Robin away. Robin was catapulted into the air, landing in a crouch nearby. Pietro intercepted Kid Flash as he attempted to rush Magneto, the two falling and rolling away. The soldiers were attempting to advance, firing at Magneto.

"Now!" He yelled.

The aircrafts flew from all angles, piling on top of each other, creating a blockade. The soldiers could not pass.

Artemis saw the girl, Pietro's sister, enter and stand next to Magneto. Trailing behind her, dragged along the ground by her powers, was a very distressed Ivanoff, bound and gagged. Artemis immediately knew her best bet would be to surprise these guys: if she could move entire aircraft like it was no problem, then she was a far heavier hitter than Artemis was prepared to take on solo.

Wanda's brow furrowed as she watched Magneto struggle to his feet. He did not look to be in good shape. He waved off her concern. "Never mind. Let's continue," he told her in Transian. "Fix the camera. The world needs to see this."

He pointed at the camera, which had fallen to pieces when Toad had dropped it. Wanda moved her hand, and the pieces came together, seeming to melt together before becoming whole again. A nod of the head and the connection was set up, though the signal was dismal in this underground bunker. Nearby, Blob held both Aqualad and Robin in headlocks, not batting an eye as both young men were struggling and shouting. Kid Flash and Pietro were wrestling, but not a current threat. A stream of power leaked from Wanda's fingertips and the members of the team were suddenly immobilized, paralyzed. Blob let them drop to the floor. The soldiers on the other side of the barrier were shouting, firing uselessly at the bullet-proof aircrafts.

Toad stirred, then rolled to his feet, groaning. He limp-crawled up the wall to where Magneto and Wanda stood. "Lemme help."

"You can hardly do anything at this point," Magneto spat. He turned to Wanda. "Wanda will do it."

Wanda held no particular fondness for Toad, but even she buckled a little at Toad's absolutely devastated expression. "He can help."

Erik's face hardened. "Fine." He took the camera and shoved it at Toad. "Hold it steady."

Toad squinted, determinedly not letting his hands shake.

Erik was looking around at the destruction like a king over his beloved kingdom. Like a socially maladjusted father over his toy train collection. The pride, the utter joy he was feeling at the moment, seemed to emanate off him. This was the moment that he had been waiting for, the moment that he had been working for, for almost his entire adult life. He turned to Ivanoff, the quivering, pathetic mess of a man that paled under his iron gaze.

The fury of a thousand slaughtered mutants snag in Erik Magnus's blood as he raised his hand. He brought the blade down, piercing Ivanoff's heart. Ivanoff's eyes bulged. A spurt of blood dripped from his mouth. Erik dropped his body. The man was dead.

The thunk of dead flesh on metal sounded dull in Wanda's ears. She stared at the dead body, almost uncomprehending of what had happened. She had always known what Erik's plan would be, but seeing it actually happen was surreal. Erik wished he could have had more time to savor the moment, but he knew that they did not have much time. He looked to Toad, who had finished filming. "Did you get it all?" He asked in English. Toad nodded. "Good. Then we are leaving."

"What about them?" Wanda asked, gesturing to their captives.

Magneto, still drunk on victory, shrugged. "Kill them."

Wanda's eyes grew wide. "What?"

"You heard me."

A million thoughts raced through Pietro's head about why that was an absolutely terrible idea, but he ultimately didn't need to voice them. Wanda flat out refused. "No!"

Magneto's high spirits grew dark. He whirled on her. "What did you say?"

Wanda seemed slightly taken aback by her own audacity, but she was standing her ground.

Magneto stepped towards her, looming. But then he could hear distant rumbling and footsteps and he knew that if they stayed to argue, they would have no chance of escaping. He snarled at her. "Never mind. Let's go." He gestured to Blob and Toad, who immediately ran (or in Toad's case, limped) towards the exit. Wanda's eyes met her brother's. They showed a flow of emotions: regret, fear, relief, uncertainty.

Miss Martian stirred awake. Looking around her, her outrage at the situation built a psychic blade that she promptly hurled at Wanda. Wanda shrieked, collapsing to the ground, clutching at her forehead. Wanda's own powers flared in self-defense, momentarily shielding her from Miss Martian's psychic onslaught. But from the shadows, Artemis saw her opportunity. Artemis raced out and tackled Wanda from behind, bringing her to the ground. Pietro reacted immediately, dashing out and seizing Artemis in a roll, tumbling away from Wanda. Wanda, panicked, lashed out blindly with her powers. The metal light fixture above them snapped and hurtled down towards Pietro and Artemis.

Pietro, unthinking, rolled and pushed Artemis out of the way.

Artemis rolled to her side, dazed. She saw Pietro on his stomach, cringing in pain. His ankle had disappeared under this large light fixture. There was the sound of footsteps and suddenly the light was gone and Wanda was there, rolling him to his side. Pietro stared numbly at his foot which was pointing in a direction it definitely wasn't supposed to. It was already beginning to swell grotesquely. Wanda fussed, wanting to touch it but not wanting to touch it.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I can fix this," she was saying. But while she had fixed the occasional bump or bruise, she had never healed something this severe or delicate. Pietro knew it too.

He stared at her. "You have to go."

Wanda stopped short. "I—what?"

"You have to go," he repeated.

"What? No! No, I can fix this, just give me a minute-"

"There's no time."

"_No._" Her mouth drew into a tight line. "I am not leaving you behind again, I'm not."

"Wanda-"

"I _can't-_"

"If you don't go now, they'll get you. You know it." Wanda stared determinedly at the floor. "Hey," he said. "I'll be okay."

As if on cue, the aircraft barriers were broken through. Reinforcements had arrived. Wanda looked at them advancing, then to Pietro, pained. She seized him in a hug. "I love you." She pulled away, glaring determinedly. "I _am_ coming back for you," she said fiercely, as if daring him to argue.

He gave a wan smile. "I know."

She got up and ran, keeping low to avoid the soldiers' gunfire. Pietro winced and stretched out on his back. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off, and his ankle hurt. Artemis, shaking out of her stupor, crawled over to him. His face immediately turned to stone. He held out his wrists. "Just do it."

* * *

**A/N**: This was an insanely difficult chapter to write. I went through three different versions before sticking with this one. Depending on how people feel about it (or how I feel about it) I may go back and edit or rewrite the entire thing. But for now, I am just going to move on with the rest of the plot. As always, thank you for reading. Leave a review if you're so inclined, I'd love some feedback. I don't have a specific idea of when the next update will be but it won't be quite as long as the last wait was.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I own nothing. As the COVID-19 situation continues to grow worse, I hope that all my readers and their families stay healthy and well in these difficult times. Stay safe, guys.

* * *

"Run! Faster!"

Magneto's words seemed distant to Wanda. Distorted. She could barely hear him over the sound of her own footsteps and pounding heart. She could see the tunnel ahead of her, but it seemed to be moving around her, rather than her running through it. The events happening around her were detached, almost like she was watching a movie. She was vaguely aware of the gunfire behind her, the sound of Fred's thunderous feet, the crash and crunch of Magneto's metal wielding. She saw when members of the Justice League finally showed up, flapping and flying in their colorful costumes, and she knew that she was dodging and deflecting their attacks but only just. At some point Toad was captured. Wanda just wanted to go back in time, before all of this, and stop it before it happened. She wanted peace and quiet again, she wanted out of this bunker, but she didn't deserve it because she was leaving her brother behind again when he would never ever have left her. And then somebody flew in at her, and she heard Magneto yell her name and reach his hand out to her, and she reached back for him and then there was a flash of light and Wanda was somewhere else, staring up at a blue cloudless sky.

Erik got to his hands and knees, trying to keep his weight off his bad knee as much as possible. He spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground; he had taken a hit to the mouth at some point. He frowned at the soft green grass underneath his fingers. Where were they? A glance around confirmed that there were trees, and another glance confirmed they were at a small house in the American countryside, the one they had stayed in before the attack at the Summit a few days ago. Fred was there too, lying still and groaning a few meters away. But how had they gotten there?

A small noise to his left caught his attention, and he found the answer lying in the grass. She was clutching at her chest and making strange whimpery sounds with every shallow breath she took. Erik gingerly crawled to her, brushing a few stray hairs from her forehead.

"Wanda?"

At the sound of her name, Wanda gasped, exhaling a sob. Her whole body shook with tired, agonized, tearless sobs. She covered her face with her hands. "I'm evil," she wailed. "I'm evil!"

"Shhh, no you're not." Erik gathered her up in his arms. She clung to him like a small child, his prior actions apparently forgotten. "You're not."

"I left him. Again! I left him! I left him…"

"You didn't have a choice. Nobody blames you." Erik cooed. "Shh. It's alright, darling, it's alright." He began to stroke her hair with a paternal kind of affection. Slowly, Wanda's outburst began to quell. Her breathing evened, and she sagged in his arms, exhausted. In his periphery, Erik caught a glance at Fred, who had sat up and was now staring at them, open-mouthed. Erik sent him a glare. Fred, who understood immediately, respectfully turned himself around to stare in the opposite direction.

That distraction taken care of, Erik had a moment to think. "Did you bring us here?" He asked Wanda softly.

"Didn't mean to," Wanda whispered, sounding as if she might fall asleep. "It just happens sometimes."

Teleportation across such a great distance was no easy feat when done on purpose. In that moment, Erik realized that they had only scratched the surface of her potential; this young woman harbored a power unlike anything he had ever seen before. He hugged her tighter to his chest, still stroking her hair. "It's going to be alright, darling," he whispered.

* * *

"I cannot believe that happened!" Wally howled in frustration, slamming his fists against the tile wall.

"Give it a rest, KF." Robin's scowl crept into his voice. "We're all in the same boat."

Indeed they were. Two gaping Superboy's-fist-shaped holes in the wall attested to it.

Aqualad said nothing. He stood in silence, letting the shower water sluice over his skin. His stare was cold and blank, the dangerous calm before a storm.

Kid Flash slammed his fists into the wall again before slumping against it, resting his forehead against the slippery tile. He groaned. "It's not even that we lost," he said, "it's that we lost so freaking badly. This was a freaking important mission."

"Yeah, we know!" Robin growled. He had been testy since Batman had shown up at the bunker with the rest of the League reinforcements. Upon seeing the absolute failure that was left of their mission, Batman had evenly told them all to go back to Mt. Justice, hit the showers, and wait for further instruction. The aftermath had left everyone feeling frustrated, ashamed, angry. Kid Flash and Robin were bickering. Aqualad had clammed up (no pun intended) and appeared to have dissociated from what was happening around him. Superboy, thankfully, had decided to take a drive with Sphere and spare everyone from his rather destructive temper.

The female side of the team was not faring much better. In the ladies' showers, Artemis turned the water off and dried herself off with a towel. She wrapped a robe around her body and wrung the excess water out of the blonde mass of her hair. She stepped out of the shower area to find M'gann staring listlessly at herself in a mirror above a sink.

M'gann saw Artemis's puzzled reflection staring over her shoulder. She sighed. "I should have been able to stop them," she said. "I could have figured out a way."

Artemis shrugged. "That's easy to say in hindsight." At M'gann's flat look, Artemis raised her hands. "Look, it wasn't a total loss, okay? They got the blue lady. They got the frog kid that like, projectile vomits."

"And the speedster," M'gann added.

"Yeah." Artemis frowned. "And the speedster."

M'gann shook her head. "I know all of that. But I was ready for a rematch, and instead I was thrown around like a ragdoll." She shuddered. "It's horrible. Feeling like you're not in control of yourself like that. It was like I was battling myself from the inside out."

M'gann's eyes were wide, pleading for a comfort that Artemis was far too emotionally constipated to give. "Sucks," Artemis managed.

M'gann exhaled, clearly having hoped for more. She looked down at the sink. "Batman wasn't happy."

"Nobody was." Artemis traced a small scar on her forearm absentmindedly. "The feds are having a field day trying to figure out what to do with this one."

"Artemis." M'gann turned to face her. "We watched a man _die_ today."

Artemis inhaled sharply. "Yeah."

M'gann frowned. She could feel the pressure of Artemis's thoughts racing, threatening to bubble over into M'gann's stream of consciousness. But she knew her boundaries. M'gann waited respectfully for Artemis to say something. She didn't.

"Artemis?" M'gann asked after a while, almost timidly.

Artemis didn't say anything. M'gann watched her leave without a word, wondering all the while if it had been something she said.

As Artemis tugged on her civvies, a T-shirt and pair of jeans, she ruminated over the events of the day. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't disappointed that they had lost. But on the other hand, the deceased Ivanoff had a track record that pegged him as a pretty despicable human being. But did that justify his murder? Artemis wasn't sure. It was not the first time that she had seen a man die; Artemis's father had made sure of that. But unlike Jade, Artemis had never developed a taste for it. She hated seeing the light go out in the eyes. Glassy eyes, staring out into nothing…something about it churned her stomach. Some would call it "empathy," her father would call it "weakness." Artemis supposed it didn't really matter; either way, she didn't like it. But in this particular case, she wasn't sure what to feel.

Fully dressed, Artemis decided to head into the common area. She turned her thoughts temporarily from death and morality and her dad because frankly, she was too tired to deal with them at the moment. She replayed the events of the day in her head, starting from the League's arrival and moving backward from there, thinking through what she had seen and heard. She remembered grabbing a pair of handcuffs from her utility belt and slapping them on Pietro's wrists.

She hadn't understood any of the conversation that the siblings had had, but it didn't take a genius to realize that he had told her to leave him behind and escape. What a strong sibling bond they must have. Artemis smirked to herself, wondering what that must be like. Another thought occurred to her. Pietro had pushed her out of the way of the falling light fixture. Why? Strategically that was the dumbest thing he could have done. Making sure your opponent gets hurt as possible is Fighting 101, not to mention Evil 101. The only reason that seemed to make any sense was that he operated by some higher moral code, wherein self-sacrifice for loved ones was an apparent feature. Her dad would call that weakness, too, and Artemis would have to begrudgingly agree: this "moral code" had only gotten him detained and injured. But she had to admit, the loyalty was (as puke-y as it sounds) kind of sweet.

Artemis rolled her eyes at herself. _That's dumb_.

Well, maybe. But she was curious. She had made the assumption that the Brotherhood was a bit of a cult, with Magneto as the leader and the rest of the members as his loyal followers. But maybe if Pietro really did have some kind of separate moral set, maybe…

"Oof!" Artemis had been so engrossed in her conversation with herself that she had smacked into Wally. "Oh. Hey."

"Hey." Behind him walked Aqualad, Robin, and a returned-from-therapeutic-drive Superboy. Wally cleared his throat. "Batman's here."

"Oh. Okay." Artemis watched the male members of the team march past her with the enthusiasm of a chain gang on their way to the gallows. Miss Martian floated in from the women's lockers. The girls followed them.

Batman was standing in the main hall, watching the holographic screen intently. The team stood behind him, waiting. Artemis was about to cough or discreetly alert their presence somehow, but it turned out to be unnecessary. Batman turned to face them.

They all subconsciously cringed, waiting for the verbal beatdown that was inevitably going to take place.

But Batman surprised them. "We all know what happened today. But we are not going to talk about that now. Though it is expected that you each fill out a very thorough mission report," Batman added rather intimidatingly. "This is a complicated situation that escalated in a way we were not prepared for. The League is now focusing its resources on finding Magneto and his accomplices."

Aqualad raised a hand. "If I may ask. Will we be assisting in the search?" The team knew what he was really asking, of course. _Did we screw up so badly that you're benching us?_

"That remains to be seen," Batman said. "In the meantime, you are all to go home and rest. But before that, one thing that needs to be addressed," Batman said. "There were...consequences from tonight's encounter."

"That's one way to say someone died," Wally said under his breath.

"As such you will all have a psych evaluation session with Black Canary. I will send out the details tomorrow. Good night."

The team dispersed. Artemis and Wally were both grumbling about having to sit through another psych eval. Superboy reached out and put an arm around Miss Martian. Aqualad just looked tired.

Batman beckoned Robin to stay. Robin obeyed, waiting at his side until his teammates had disappeared out of view and earshot.

"You wanted a word in private?" Robin asked. He deliberately kept his voice evn, although he was expecting a thorough tongue-lashing.

"Yes." Batman turned to the screen. "You were able to form a bit of a connection with Pietro Maximoff. He seemed willing to speak to you."

Robin blinked, surprised. "Uh. I guess," he said.

"I want you to talk with him again. More information is needed before we carry on."

"What kind of information are you looking for, exactly?" Robin asked.

Batman raised an eyebrow. Probably. Behind his cowl, it was hard to tell. "While Magneto's name and origin have been known for some time, he was never incarcerated. His biological information had been a mystery. Until now." Batman tapped on the keyboard and Magneto's mugshot appeared on the screen. "Magneto was apparently injured in the bunker, and left traces of blood and saliva on the floor. I collected the samples and ran them through the League's database. I found a close relative."

Batman pushed a button. Another mugshot popped up.

"No way," Robin breathed.

Pietro Maximoff's headshot glared sullenly at them in the glow of the holographic screen. Below him read the words, in all caps: PIETRO MAXIMOFF. PATERNAL-FILIAL RELATIONSHIP: 95.72% CERTAINTY.

"_He's Magneto's kid_?"

"Apparently."

Robin was shocked. There was almost zero family resemblance. And that meant Pietro's sister was also Magneto's daughter. Wait, could _all _of Magneto's team be related? Brotherhood indeed...

He pulled himself together. "So what does this mean?" He asked his mentor.

"Speak to him again. Find out how much he really knows. The familial relationship could be leverage for us to trace Magneto."

Something occurred to Robin. "Why didn't you want the others to know?"

"They don't need to. Yet." Through his cowl, he gave Robin a side glance. "This information is need-to-know until we can assess the situation. The Transian and US government are willing to work around sentencing if he can help us get Magneto."

Robin felt conflicted. He swallowed down the feeling and gave a small nod.

* * *

"Owwwww."

"Will you knock it off?" Pietro said sharply. "These walls aren't soundproof, you know."

"But it hurtsss," Toad whined, gingerly touching his poor head. He may have been durable enough to survive getting kicked in the head by _Wonder Woman,_ but at the end of the day, it was still getting _kicked in the head by Wonder Woman._ Not to mention the three cracked ribs and broken tibia that had to be re-broken and splinted, because advanced healing had started to heal them wrong. In Toad's humble opinion, he deserved to wallow for a bit in his own misery.

Pietro didn't seem to agree. He grabbed the plastic spork from the food tray beside his bed and brandished it in the air. "If you don't shut up I'll take this and gouge out your tongue!" He shouted.

"I can't even see what you're threatening me with," Toad said. "There's a wall between us."

There was, in fact, a literal wall that separated their cells. Pietro chucked the spork at it. It boinked harmlessly off the wall and landed on the floor.

"Did you just throw your spork at the wall?" Toad asked.

"Shut up." Pietro glared at his foot, which was in a cast and propped up on some pillows.

"You know, sometimes I think you build emotional walls too," Toad said. "I think you have anger issues."

"Toad, if you don't shut up I will tell Wanda that you still wear Mickey Mouse boxers," Pietro said. There was no answer. Satisfied, Pietro closed his eyes for a minute to enjoy the silence.

He heard the mechanical swish of his cell door opening. Pietro snapped them open just as the door shut again. But there was nobody there.

"You dropped this," Dick said from right next to him.

"Detudraculuituekeligesukapizda!" Pietro jumped violently, letting out a stream of Transian curse words.

"Sorry," Dick said, dropping the spork on the food tray. Pietro groaned, adjusting his leg.

"How are you so _quiet_?"

"Practice. Listen, I need to talk to you."

"What for?" Pietro pulled himself up to a sitting position. He grumpily snatched the pudding cup off the food tray and tore the lid off with his teeth.

Dick gave him a stern look from behind his sunglasses. Keeping his voice low, he switched to Romani. "I know," he said.

"Know what?" Pietro grabbed the spork from the tray and dug in.

"I know about you and Magneto."

Pietro froze mid-bite. He popped the spork out of his mouth. "What?"

"There's no point in hiding it anymore. We know you know more than you're letting on."

Dick had expected the perp to play dumb, but Pietro was shaping up to be a better actor than he had expected. The kid looked totally dumbfounded. "I...what?"

Dick lowered his voice. "I know that Magneto is your father."

Pietro stared at him, open mouthed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I know he's your father."

A splay of emotions passed over Pietro's face. First shock, then confusion, indignance, and then amusement. He laughed incredulously. "No he's not."

Okay, so he was a really good actor. "Yes he is."

"No he is most definitely not. Unless this is your way of telling me Magneto's dead, too." Pietro looked at Robin with a mix of suspicion and bafflement. "Is this some kind of interrogation tactic? Because I've already told you. He doesn't tell us anything."

Dick was starting to get the nagging feeling that Pietro genuinely didn't know. _Did Magneto?_ "You mean you don't know?"

"Don't know what?" Pietro was starting to sound annoyed. Dick didn't say anything. Pietro shoveled more pudding into his mouth. "It's honestly insulting to even suggest it."

"But-"

"No." Pietro snapped. "I'm done with this. My father was a good man, and he is very much dead. I saw it happen. So stop trying to feed me that crap because I know you're lying."

"Fine." Dick said evenly, switching to English. "Then I'll cut to the chase. Ivanoff's death is a game-changer. You are looking at a lengthy prison sentence in Transia for accessory to murder. And so is your sister."

Pietro glared at him over his sporkful of pudding. "Don't bring her into this," he growled.

"I have to. She's just as much a part of this as you are. In fact, she's even more so, since she's still on the run with Magneto."

Pietro's gaze snapped up from his pudding. "She _did_ get away? But how-" his eyes widened, "unless…"

"Wait. You know how she did it?" Dick focused his attention like a laser on Pietro. Pietro, to his surprise, seemed a little thrown off.

"I...I mean, she doesn't do it often. She can't. Not all the time, anyway," Pietro stammered.

"Do what?"

"Well...sometimes she can, y'know. Go, how do you say in English...go places fast, except not like me. But she's only done it once before," Pietro said. "Wait. Why am I telling you this?"

It was too late. Dick zeroed in on the information. "Go? You mean like teleport? Do you have any idea where they might have gone?"

"You think I would tell you that? You just told me she has a lengthy prison sentence waiting for her!"

"Look." Dick sighed. "I'm working on getting a deal set up. If you cooperate, and we end of getting Magneto, there's a chance that you and your sister will get an easier sentence. I know there's got to be some kind of communication line set up for the Brotherhood in case something went wrong."

"What, like an email chain?" Pietro said sarcastically.

Dick ignored him. "This is your chance to help us on your own terms."

"I'm not spying on her for you, rupak, I'm not. So don't ask," Pietro said.

"I'll give you some time to think it over. But keep in mind, Toad might be a little more willing to take the deal than you are." Dick turned on his heel and left. Pietro watched him go.

When he was gone, Toad's voice came through the cell wall. "Hey Pietro. You're not gonna do it, are you?"

"I don't know."

Toad hummed. "Hey, Pietro. What were you and him talking about, when you were speaking in Gypsy or Romani or whatever you call it?"

"None of your business." Pietro flopped back onto his cot. He knew it wasn't possible. It couldn't be…

Django Maximoff had been the best father he could have asked for. But biologically, he wasn't his real father. There wouldn't be any documentation of it. Pietro and Wanda had been born on the mountainside of a very poor region of Transia; they didn't even have birth certificates. But Django and Marya had always made a point to be transparent to the twins. They never lied to them about their origins. The story went like this.

Marya Maximoff was a midwife. She had delivered most of the children in that region of Grisnai. One day, a mysterious young woman came knocking at their door. She was disheveled, distressed, and going into labor. Marya rushed her inside and helped her deliver two healthy babies. Unfortunately, despite Marya's best efforts, the woman passed away. They weren't able to get any information from the young mother. Just a name: Magda. Not knowing who the girl's family was, or the father of the children, Django and Marya took the children in as their own. But even though the twins were not biologically theirs, as Django and Marya would both add when telling them this story, they loved them completely from the bottom of their hearts.

Django Maximoff would always be Pietro's "real" Papa. But he had no idea who his biological father was. So there was a chance…

No. That's ridiculous. Pietro grabbed a sandwich from his food tray and took a bite. He stared sullenly at the ceiling as he chewed, thinking.


End file.
